“Let Kyrie Play, let Kyrie play, let Kyrie play.”
On Sunday afternoon, this was the rallying cry of Kyrie Irving anti-vax supporters outside of Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Kyrie Irving liberation attempts are in full effect as a result of his self-righteous stance, having infected not only the basketball community but misguided dorks from all walks of life.
This became more than a rally, as violence broke out when protesters began trying to enter the arena by force, and had to be held off by Barclays security and staff. The mob of protesters shouted “stand with Kyrie’’ and “no vaccine mandate,” while some held up signs that read “Don’t tread on me,” “Will not comply,” and “Health Freedom Now,” accompanied by a smattering of American flags. Some even wore “Black Lives Matter’’ shirts. Hundreds gathered around the arena for this rally, according to the New York Post and onlookers. A sea of mostly-unmasked people, waving around signs and flags, most likely passing around COVID to one another like herpes at a Hollywood orgy. That’s just great.
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The eerie similarity of this rally to the invasion on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, by Donald Trump supporters, is truly ironic. That same insurrection allegedly caused Irving’s reported breakdown earlier this year and required him to take nearly two weeks off from basketball to clear his mind and gather his thoughts. Now his own supporters have committed a similar act outside of Barclays Center and tried to go all the way, but were apparently held off by building security. What were they planning to do once they got inside?
Kyrie Irving has yet to comment on this situation, and I’d be surprised if he, in fact, does release a statement or hop on social media to address the incident. We should have grown accustomed to a lack of accountability on the part of both Kyrie and his followers by looking at Sunday’s incident outside the Barclays Center. Not to mention that some of the same people supporting Kyrie now are the same people who backed the January 6 attempt to overthrow democracy. Hi, Ted Cruz!
I’m sure this will be glossed over by Irving, and especially his supporters, as it being nothing more than a rally to show support for their persecuted leader. It is a shame that none of these people can understand how their decision to decline vaccination affects the people around them. Hell, a substantial chunk of the population still thinks this is all a hoax and isn’t a real virus.
The rally came ahead of the Nets’ home opener, in which Irving would have played had he been eligible to do so. Kyrie not being able to play isn’t some edict established by the Nets front office; it’s a New York City mandate that won’t allow him or any other unvaccinated player in the city to take part in home games. But I’m sure every person in that mob outside Barclays realized that.
