If you want to work for ESPN covering games this fall, you need to get your Covid-19 vaccine. A memo to freelance staffers obtained by Bobby Burak of Outkick.com says that as of August 1, the World Wide Leader will require an attestation of vaccination from all employment candidates.
ESPN has not yet commented on the memo.
This email going out to third party staffers seems to indicate that it is a response to the new Covid protocols put in place by the NFL and NFLPA earlier this week. The league has made it clear that vaccinated members of the media will have more access to the field and to players during the 2021 season.
More than half of all American adults are fully vaccinated. Shots are available to anyone that wants one.
Whether or not this policy changes the mind of someone that initially did not want a vaccine remains to be seen, but given the number of states using lotteries as extra incentive to get the shots, maybe the potential for freelance employment was bound to always be on the table.
For those wondering if ESPN is allowed to do this, the answer is yes. The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has said in the past that employers have the right to mandate vaccines of any type. Employees do have the right to take medical or religious exemptions and remain employed.
The exemption only applies to salaried employees. Private contractors would likely have to comply with company expectations in order to get a job.
