Opinion: US swimmer Michael Andrew’s decision not to get vaccinated is selfish, unfair to teammates
U.S. Olympic swimmer Michael Andrew couldn’t be bothered to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Katie Ledecky could, and did. So did Simone Manuel. About 90 percent of the U.S. national swimming team did, as of a June estimate.
But not Michael Andrew. He said he didn’t want it to interfere with his training, figuring it might cause him to miss a few days of practice. You know, side effects and all.
The vaccine probably affected the training of Olympic gold medalists Ledecky and Manuel too, but they went ahead and got the shots, gladly doing their part to not only keep themselves safe, but also those around them, including their future Olympic swimming teammates.
But Andrew? The 22-year-old who said he contracted COVID months ago decided he didn’t need to do any of that. Speaking on the YouTube swimming series “Inside with Brett Hawke” in January, Andrew explained his decision this way:
“So my thought pattern is kind of like, if I’ve already got it, there’s not as much health risk for me.”
He also spoke of his family’s views about the virus that has killed more than 600,000 Americans.
“We’re kind of, I wouldn’t say conspiracy theory type family, but we’re definitely on the side where we look for what other methods are there. The same with the way we train. Just because everyone’s heading in one direction, why do we have to follow that direction?”
Now isn’t that a good question. It’s actually such a Michael Andrew question. Coached by his father in a backyard pool, Andrew turned pro at the tender age of 14 and has always approached training for his sport in an unorthodox manner. So, sure, when everyone goes one way in swimming, go ahead and go another way. And when a life-saving vaccine becomes available, run away from that too, because it seems like the cool thing to do.
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But then you qualify for an Olympics in the middle of a pandemic, and you know what that vaccine you scoffed at ends up meaning? Freedom. It’s your security blanket, your get-out-of-jail-free card.