College football is back! That was the sentiment by many across the country this weekend. After over a year and a half of ominous, pandemic-induced restrictions, fans flocked to stadiums across the country with what could only be described as rampant enthusiasm and copious amounts of energy that could be felt through the television screen. Yet, with the joy that accompanied the sport’s return came the agony of the outrage from COVIDphobes on social media.
The COVIDphobes came for college football this weekend. The hashtag COVIDBOWL began trending on Twitter because of footage from Friday’s Virginia Tech vs. North Carolina game. One of the most condemned incidences featured a video of fans dancing to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” at the beginning of the game. This clip drew the ire of COVIDphobes everywhere as they claimed such celebrations would lead to the further spread of COVID-19.
Former NBA player and current social media antagonizer Rex Chapman was one of the primary instigators. He dubbed the game the COVID-Bowl. Subsequently, this led to a Twitter spat with talk show host Clay Travis over the game. Travis responded with a picture of Chapman attending a Phoenix Suns game this past season without a mask. Other Twitter users chimed in and echoed Chapman’s sentiments. COVIDphobe ignorance was on full display for the entire world to see.
This hysteria is the perfect example of what is polarizing the nation. Chapman’s criticism is ignorant and unwarranted. COVIDphobes demand people receive vaccinations and follow safety protocols to mitigate any spread of COVID-19. Yet, that is what colleges across the country have done. The COVID-19 policies of Virginia Tech require the student population to be vaccinated before arriving on campus. Anyone who failed to comply was not permitted to enroll at the university.
“Out of about 37,000 Virginia Tech students expected when classes began Aug. 23, less than half of 1% are now unenrolled,” said Mark Owczarski, associate vice president for university relations, in the Roanoke Times. Moreover, the Roanoke Times reported that 95% of students and 88% of employees at Virginia Tech received a COVID-19 vaccine. This is in addition to the safety protocols required at Lane Stadium.
But that does not matter to the COVIDphobes. They see a video, ignore facts, and concoct fallacious narratives.
There is agenda-driven selective outrage behind these uproars. For example, the same weekend COVIDphobes were attacking college football fans, they were noticeably silent about the Made In America music festival that occurred in Philadelphia. Here, too, there was video of fans singing and dancing without wearing masks. And Made In America had the same safety restrictions as college football stadiums around the country. Where was the outrage?
In August, several events fit the description of COVIDphobe rage. Several music festivals occurred, but no Twitter hashtags attacked the concert attendees. There were numerous pictures of people without masks attending former President Barack Obama’s birthday party at Martha’s Vineyard last month. Yet, the COVIDphobes’ ire was visibly missing.
All of these events had essentially the same safety requirements, yet, only one caused an uproar. People such as Chapman offered no commentary on Made in America. The COVIDphobes criticizing college football fans did not appear as concerned regarding Obama’s party. The inconsistent outrage applied to other music festivals that happened over the summer as well.
This is indicative of the ignorance and hypocrisy that has occurred throughout the pandemic. Frequently, proponents of strong COVID-19 restrictions were revealed to be violating their own precautions. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser were all exposed for disregarding their own recommendations over the past 18 months.
It is also indicative of the paranoia associated with vaccinated COVIDphobes. A survey released by the American Psychological Association showed that nearly 1 out of every 2 vaccinated people had significant concerns about returning to everyday activities, even after vaccination.
These critics deliver sanctimonious rage at COVID-19 spreading at some events but are conspicuously silent for others. It is the selective outrage that is contributing to people doubting the severity of the pandemic. If COVIDphobes truly felt that COVID-19 and its variants are such a threat, criticism and concerns would be consistent. Obama’s party and music festivals would cause as much social media condemnation as football fans at Virginia Tech’s stadium did. But it doesn’t.
People see this hypocrisy while they cheer on their favorite team or do other hobbies that they love. COVIDphobe outrage is not predicated on concern for the well-being of people. It is sanctimonious, agenda-driven, faux outrage. Their baseless fearmongering is as vociferous as the fans singing “Enter Sandman.”
