Talk about losers: Royals take tax money, want a new stadium, but refuse COVID vaccine

Ten unvaccinated Kansas City Royals — nearly 40% of the team’s 26-man roster — won’t be available for a four-game series that begins Thursday against Toronto.

Why? Because players who haven’t received a COVID-19 vaccine are restricted from entering Canada.

This is an affront to the local taxpayers, who have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to support the Royals. Kauffman Stadium received $250 million worth of renovations that debuted in 2009. Then, when asked to do something for the community that supports them, almost 40% of the team’s 26-player roster reject science and community health standards and refuse to get vaccinations during a vicious pandemic.

And this same organization might soon ask taxpayers to help pay to build a new stadium downtown? Really? How about showing some concern for your fellow residents and ensuring your team is vaccinated?

Before Thursday, only 25 visiting Major League Baseball players had failed to make the trip north because of Canada’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements, according to MLB insider Jeff Passan. The 10 Royals who abrogated their responsibility to teammates and the community increased that number by a stunning 40%.

None offered valid reasons to reject the vaccine. Most spoke of personal decisions or choices.

And let’s be clear: Aside from a medical or religious exemption, there is little excuse not to be vaccinated and boosted, the most effective way to reduce the risk of severe disease, hospitalization or even death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Locally, BA.5, the latest COVID-19 variant, is here and is spreading throughout the community at an alarming rate. We should be doing all we can to prevent a surge similar to last November’s omicron wave. Millionaire ballplayers are not exempt.

Outfielder Andrew Benintendi, the lone All-Star for the last-place Royals, won’t make the trip. His choice to reject vaccination was personal, Benintendi said.

Whit Merrifield, perhaps one of the most popular Royals, will stay home, too. He too made a personal choice against taking the vaccine.

Another player, Hunter Dozier, went completely off the rails: “I don’t do any vaccines,” Dozier told reporters this week.

The other players that refused the most safe and effective way to slow the spread of COVID-19 were Cam Gallagher, Dylan Coleman, Kyle Isbel, Brad Keller, MJ Melendez, Brady Singer and Michael A. Taylor.

As an organization, the Royals don’t mandate vaccines for players. But the team has brought in medical experts to handle tough questions about the vaccines, team president Dayton Moore said.

Nearly half of the big league roster was unmoved. And that revelation is even more disappointing than the losing baseball the Royals have played this season.