Skip to main content
aaron rodgers at a game

November 22, 2021

With 95% of NFL Vaccinated, Why Did Aaron Rodgers not Take the Vaccine?

Ask students: Who is Aaron Rodgers, and what is his background? What are the rules set by the National Football League about players getting COVID vaccines?

Share

Share On Facebook
Share On Twitter
Share On Pinterest
Share On LinkedIn
Email

Summary

Will Leitch, a contributing editor for New York Magazine, and John Yang discuss the controversy over Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ vaccination status. Rodgers had previously implied he was inoculated against COVID-19, but later admitted to being unvaccinated after contracting the virus.

Discussion Questions

  1. Who is Aaron Rodgers, and what is his background?
  2. What are the rules set by the National Football League about players getting COVID vaccines?
  3. When did Aaron Rodgers contract COVID?
  4. How has refusal to get vaccinated affected some professional athletes and their teams, according to this piece?
  5. Why does Rodgers say he didn’t get vaccinated?

Focus Questions

Do you think the words and actions of celebrities like pro sports players can affect the actions of fans, such as deciding whether or not to get vaccinated? Why or why not do you think their example is important?

Media Literacy

Do you think it’s clear from this story and others that the NFL and many other leagues (as well as private businesses) don’t necessarily require vaccination? Is it clear from other media you’ve seen that in professional leagues such as the NFL and NBA, 95% or more of players are vaccinated?

Additional Resources

Some celebrities aren’t the only ones resisting pressure to get vaccinated. For more on resistance to vaccine mandates or testing requirements, see this story.

Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Extra.

PBS NewsHour Classroom

PBS NewsHour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories.

Advertisement

Post a comment

Log in or sign up to post a comment.