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The coronavirus pandemic was supposed to be in the rearview mirror by now after shutting down the sports world in March. New cases and deaths from COVID-19 should be on the decline.

But we took health officials鈥� coronavirus warnings as seriously as their warnings about eating too much red meat, a bunch of self-proclaimed constitutional scholars decided that wearing a mask at Costco infringed on their civil liberties, and the federal government deemed social media moderation a bigger threat to the safety and stability of the United States than a highly contagious and deadly virus.

So instead of a smooth return to normalcy in the sports world as August grows near, a familiar scene played itself out on Sunday, this time in the National Football League with the sport鈥檚 biggest stars.

, , , and others as training camps open throughout the league this week, even while

And like athletes before them in the National Hockey League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball, the NFL players who dared speak out were raked over the coals for doing so by an entitled group of sports fans and pundits disconnected from reality.

鈥楬ow dare these spoiled pro athletes put the health and safety of themselves and their families ahead of 鈥淭he Game.鈥� How selfish of them?鈥�

How selfish of you.

Athletes 鈥� no matter the level 鈥� have every right to question the safety of their sport, whether they鈥檙e dealing with concussions or infectious diseases, and whether they are being paid to play or not.

For some athletes, the decision to play or not during a pandemic will be a business decision, . Is that a risk worth taking to play a season that very well could carry an asterisk, if it even starts or finishes?

For many other athletes, coaches and staffers, this is a family decision. Will playing or taking part put family members in danger? at the moment 鈥� not the Seattle Seahawks鈥� season-opener against the Atlanta Falcons 鈥� as he and his wife await the arrival of their second child together. And rightfully so.

I understand millions of essential workers across this country have been putting themselves and their families in harm鈥檚 way now for months and for a much smaller paycheck. And even if they are fortunate enough to be unionized 鈥� like we are at the News Tribune 鈥� they don鈥檛 wield the power and leverage that unions of professional athletes do.

That doesn鈥檛 mean athletes should lie down and put their lives 鈥� or the lives of their families 鈥� on the line. They shouldn鈥檛 be shamed into sacrificing their career just because you鈥檝e ran out of things to watch on Netflix. Besides, have you tried Disney Plus?

This might be hard for some to read 鈥� and for a sports writer to even type 鈥� but sports are not essential. Curing your boredom is not essential, but finally getting control of COVID-19 is.