With fans back in arenas and stadiums and COVID-19 vaccines available to every American, sports are starting to look more like normal.
And even though teams like the Eagles are foregoing holding in-person OTAs — with the intention of leaning on the safe side — fan capacities are going up, and rates of infection are going down. Things are looking up.
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The Flyers are looking to help continue those promising trends with their "Take Your Shot" campaign, as they become the first local team and NHL team to put the full weight of a franchise into the cause of helping get enough Americans to get one of the available vaccine shots to create a true herd immunity.
The team launched its awareness campaign with Flyers players and head coach Alain Vigneault — and Gritty, of course — encouraging fans to "Take Your Shot," and will be all over the city at vaccination sites and events over the next week or so.
“The Flyers have a powerful platform to positively impact the community, and we want to encourage our friends and neighbors to get vaccinated, stay safe, and finally end this pandemic. Both the Mayor and the Governor encouraged us to get involved in the fight against COVID-19, and we’re answering that call,” Philadelphia Flyers & Wells Fargo Center President of Business Operations Valerie Camillo said. “We want to do our part to encourage people throughout our region – especially those in underserved communities – to get vaccinated and finally get back to doing the things we love.”
The team is also helping to target Black communities, which have been hit disproportionally hard by the pandemic, by teaming with the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium.
"The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium is working every day to ensure that African Americans throughout our region, who disproportionately contract and die from coronavirus at a higher rate than other groups, get the care they need and access to vaccines. We are proud to partner with the Philadelphia Flyers and their 'Take Your Shot' campaign. We are grateful for their support," Dr. Ala Stanford, founder of Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium — being held on Thursday, April 22 on Temple's campus, said.
“The last year has been so difficult for all of us, but there is one thing that’s helped us get to this point: working together,” Mayor Jim Kenney added. “We have so many partners in this fight against the pandemic, but we need everyone to lend a hand. Today we’re proud to partner with the Philadelphia Flyers. We couldn’t be more excited to support the Philadelphia Flyers and their 'Take Your Shot' campaign."
On Saturday, April 24 from 3-5 p.m., Gritty and the Flyers organization will head to the Delaware County and Penn Medicine large-scale community vaccination site at Radnor High School. The collaborative clinic expects to vaccinate 3,000 people over two days (April 24-25).
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