News that all players at the 2021 WSOP must be vaccinated against Covid-19 has led to a massive uproar on social media. Cries for a boycott rang out on Poker Twitter as high-stakes crushers Kristen Bicknell and Alex Foxen joined the fray, unveiling themselves as die-hard anti-vaxers.
At a time when division runs high, poker should be inclusive for everyone. We do not bring religion, politics or medical choices to the table. This stance is unscientific, illogical and dangerous. The only logical reaction to this is to boycott @WSOP this summer. https://t.co/IMohODBv6A
— Alexandru Papazian (@betweenjobs21) August 27, 2021
Kristen Bicknell Leads Anti-Vaccination Crusade
Yes, that’s mainly it! Which to me, makes the case against vaccine passports stronger, among other concerns.
I see people saying they are a ‘freeroll’ and safe, which I think is a dangerous and irresponsible statement to make.
— Kristen Bicknell (@krissyb24poker) August 29, 2021
On Sunday morning Twitter was flooded with posters showing screenshots of either Kristen Bicknell or Alex Foxen having blocked them for criticising their views on vaccination.
The pair spent the weekend telling the world about the evils of pushing vaccinations which they argue have been proven to be unsafe.
Bicknell in particular went the extra mile, saying that anybody who thinks they are safe, and haven’t caused any harm, is uninformed.
Could a Boycott of the WSOP 2021 Happen?
Is it likely that a properly organised boycott of the 2021 WSOP could happen this year? Highly unlikely, in our opinion.
For the most part, the argument will continue only where it is pushed by those who are either a confirmed anti-vaxer or simply unable to get one in time.
Poker content producer Sasha Salinger brought an amusing twist into all the arguing by pointing out the ridiculousness of saying you’re boycotting an event which you are unable to attend.
Lol to the people who say they are “boycotting” the @WSOP because of the vaccine mandate. You can’t boycott something you’re not allowed to attend
— Sasha Salinger (@sashasalinger) August 28, 2021
Kristen Bicknell took umbrage at this point of view, saying that people might be vaccinated and choose to boycott the event in support of their anti-vaxer friends.
“I’m a fan of you Sasha, but this argument doesn’t make sense. One can be vaccinated AND boycott. Why assume it’s only unvaccinated that don’t agree with this policy? Research the anti vax passport movement in Russia and France…”
It didn’t take long before the crowd were pouncing on this take. One Frenchman was quick to point out that the majority agree with the pushing of vaccinations in the country.
Don’t quote France for the anti vax passport movement. I’m French and can confirm it’s not because media keep showing demonstrations of thousands of people (out of 67 million) that it’s big. Moreover some recent pools show a huge % of the French pop supports this passport 🙃
— Dorian (@DodoPok) August 28, 2021
Mass Surprise at High Stakes Crushers Being Anti-Vaccination
There has been a lot of surprised Twitter users expressing amazement at supposedly highly-intelligent people taking the science denial stance.
Of course people are allowed their own point of view but when the science is overwhelming on one side it is embarrassing to watch these characters fight against logic, especially when they post sources with little respect to back up their arguments.
Both Kristen Bicknell and Alex Foxen have used organisations commonly described as alt right to support their position.
It’s also worth pointing out that among all of this arguing over whether or not a boycotted WSOP would be meaningless, nobody piped up when they realised that Europeans would almost certainly be unable to travel and play.
This year will be the most challenging to win a bracelet as only the smart people are allowed to play.
— Joe Tall (@JoeTall) August 27, 2021
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