New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Astros, Nationals Become First Teams to Mandate Vaccine for Non-Players

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Washington and Houston became the first two teams to make the vaccination a factor of employment on Friday.

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The Astros and Nationals issued mandates on Friday that all of their non-playing, full-time employees must receive the COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first two teams to make the vaccination a factor of employment, according to ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan. 

The Nationals told their employees on Aug. 12 that they would need to show proof of vaccination by Aug. 26 or offer a medical or religious exemption as reasons for not taking the vaccine. Houston became the first franchise to require compulsory vaccinations for its MLB team as well as the three minor-league teams owned by the organization.

"As a company, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to keep one another safe and felt that mandating vaccines as the absolute right thing to do for our employees and our community," the Nationals said in a statement to ESPN.

As the process of deciding exemptions to the vaccine continues in September, Nationals employees who do not show proof of vaccination or exemption will be fired. Per ESPN, the Houston declined to comment on the issue.

Currently, nearly 75% of MLB teams have more than 85% of their Tier 1 employees—players, coaches, medical personnel and others—vaccinated, allowing for lesser restrictions on COVID-19 protocols. 

However, due to MLB's collective bargaining agreement, no team in the league can require players to get vaccinated. The league's current CBA is based on a player-team relationship. 

Other major sports leagues—the NHL, NBA and the NFL—have ramped up their efforts to push the vaccine to be mandated among employees. In early August, the NHL sent out a memo saying any "person whose job, role or position or access entails or entitles them to have personal interactions (within 12 feet) with Club Hockey operations personnel (including players) are required to be fully vaccinated."

In the NBA, the league said it would require several types of employees that include coaches, front office and medical staff employees and others who interact with players to be vaccinated, per ESPN. 

The NFL sent a memo to all 32 teams in the league in July stating that unvaccinated players are required to wear masks at all times except when when doing so would interfere with their ability to engage in athletic activity. In addition, games will not be rescheduled during the season due to COVID-19 outbreaks among unvaccinated players. As a result, any team dealing with an outbreak will be issued a loss in a forfeit. 

Several NFL teams have created vaccination polices as well as the league in pushing the NFL players' union to make the vaccine mandatory. However, the NFLPA has not agreed to it. Thirteen teams across the NFL did not host fans at all in 2020. All 32 teams are expected to open the season at full capacity for the 2021 season.

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