Blue Check Twitter is in the midst having a meltdown as we write this post. That means it’s time for another edition of “Blue Check Tales”! While this fourth installment won’t be as long as the others nor is the story as “eventful”, the reaction is perhaps the most intense across the Blue Check world. And it all starts with a “sportsball” player and his decision regarding a COVID vaccine. So let’s begin and see what has everyone so riled up, shall we?
Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay ‘Blues’
Our story today begins as quietly and as uneventful as you could possibly imagine. Aaron Rodgers, a Super Bowl and MVP-winning quarterback in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers, had recently come down with a case of COVID-19. Such is life in the year 2021 considering the Pandemic that had just happened. With NFL rules in-place regarding COVID policy, Rodgers was to miss the Packers’ upcoming game on Sunday. A tough break for the team, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Preparation for the game with their backup QB, Jordan Love, had begun and all sides went about their week.
If only it was that simple.
The story ACTUALLY begins when the vaccination status of Rodgers was discovered shortly after the announcement. Citing an “allergy” to an ingredient in the mRNA vaccines that were commonly used by millions, Rodgers informed the world that he had not taken the vaccine. This announcement was made the Friday before the game on the Pat McAfee Show, hosted by a guy who himself played in the NFL. Citing a conversation with Joe Rogan, a milquetoast and politically ‘centrist’ talk show host, Rodgers revealed to McAfee that he had been taking ‘Ivermectin’. Both McAfee and his guest host AJ Hawk (another former NFL player) were seemingly in shock at the statement. Rodgers, on the other hand, seemed very nonchalant through the whole interview. The seeds of a blue check meltdown had just been planted.
The Word Spreads
Within a matter of minutes, word of the Rodgers interview spread throughout the world and especially on Twitter dot com. Reactions of the news were naturally mixed among us common folk who do not possess blue checkmarks, given the polarization of the issue at hand. Those who supported the vaccine were not happy with his decision, while those against the vaccine were praising him for his honesty and candor. While both sides generally disagreed on the topic, for the most part the discourse was civil. Above all, people felt it was his decision to make for himself, and that was that.
Suffice to say, Blue Check Twitter had quite a different reaction to the entire situation.
That was just a small taste of the rage displayed by the Blue Checks. Accusations of “anti-vaxxer”, “right winger”, “selfish”, and other pejoratives were flung Rodgers’ way. Keep in mind that Rodgers was relatively beloved by the media and blue checks alike before the interview, but that appeared to be changing before our eyes.
A Familiar Face Returns:
Outcry continued from the Blue Checks (and non) regarding Rodgers’ decision, eventually dominating the sports discourse. The Blue Checks were making a bigger uproar about this than they were about an incident that happened earlier in the week involving Henry Ruggs III. While we won’t derail the story too much with the Ruggs arrest, it is quite telling about the priorities of these blue checks. But we already knew about that, so let’s move along.
An interesting phenomena occurs in across NFL Blue Check Twitter with regards to any news regarding the quarterback position. Whenever news about a QB is negative or disliked by a large amount of blue checks, it becomes increasingly likely that one Colin Kaepernick will eventually be mentioned as it pertains to “racism” in the NFL. “Kaepernick’s Law” was definitely at play with this story, as it didn’t take long for the blue checks to tie a vaccination decision to a retired, mediocre QB.
We’ve written about Kaepernick a while back, as “Kaepernick’s Law” was in effect after news of Tim Tebow signing a training camp deal. Now Tebow signed as a Tight End instead of his old position of QB and would eventually get released by the Jaguars in August before the season began, but reason and patience are not virtues possessed by blue checks. But again, that’s something we all knew.
If you are unfamiliar with the NFL and Kaepernick or Rodgers in particular, we will keep it simple for you. One is a certified bum, while the other is a 2-time MVP who will be a ‘first-ballot’ Hall-of-Famer in the NFL. We’ll let you fill-in those blanks that explain something blue checks can never seem to grasp. Alas, “Kaepernick’s Law” had been in full effect and gave the story a “race” angle that it so desperately DIDN’T need.
Celebrities Sound-Off
As if angry, emotion-driven tweets weren’t enough, we started to see celebrities use their platforms to give their two cents about Rodgers. People like Howard Stern, Terry Bradshaw, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and others, were especially critical of his decision.
It’s great to see Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, operate a site and create posts at the ripe age of 74. It’s also great to hear from Howard Stern, as he’s the voice of reason we ALL look for in a situation like this. And Terry Bradshaw too? What a fresh line-up of celebrities who have influence with today’s youth! All kidding aside, the Rodgers ‘pile-up’ that was occurring before our very eyes came across as suspicious to say the very least. Maybe it was sincere; who knows? But the blue check responses across the board were something else. Nobody could’ve anticipated the outrage building up this quickly.
A ‘Tale’ With No ‘End’
As we mentioned above, this ‘tale’ is a bit different from the others. Unlike the others we have written, this one doesn’t have a clear ‘end’ or conclusion. Some things did happen that related to the situation, like the game between the Packers and Chiefs that Rodgers missed, occurred yesterday. As expected, the Packers struggled without their QB and took an ‘L’ with only 7 points to show for.
As for next week, Rodgers is expected to return for the Packers in a game against the Seahawks. Life goes on for him and his team, despite the Blue Checks and their negativity. But this ‘tale’ is one that will be ongoing throughout the year and into 2022, as the Packers hope to win a Super Bowl in what may be Rodgers’ final year with the team before demanding a trade. Who knows how successful they will be or how far they will advance. After the events from the past week, the star quarterback will have quite a few blue checks rooting against him, however.
If Rodgers loses early in the playoffs, the blue checks will be on the front lines gloating and celebrating the defeat. Now if Rodgers goes far and say, wins the Super Bowl, this ‘tale’ will have an ‘ending’ that storybook characters would be jealous of. Regardless of the outcome, it’s something we will be monitoring closely for sure.
TO BE CONTINUED……….
(Below this post you can find a complete gallery of the screenshots we have taken!)
