In a world where making decisions can feel as tricky as trying to tie your shoes with one hand while riding a bike, American journalist Sage Steele finds herself at a significant crossroads. Once the shining star of ESPN, a dream she pursued since the age of 11, Steele’s journey took a sharp turn in September 2021 amidst the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a mother of three college-aged children, Steele faced a dilemma that many can relate to — the pressure to keep her job while standing firm in her beliefs.
It’s no secret that Disney, the parent company of ESPN, instituted a vaccination mandate requiring employees to be vaccinated by a set deadline or face termination. Steele, who had dedicated fifteen years to her dream position, suddenly found herself up against a wall. Many companies followed suit, leading to widespread discussions about personal choice, fear, and the implications of such mandates. For Steele, this wasn’t just a professional matter; it struck at the very core of her values and responsibilities as a parent.
Steele wrestled with the idea of taking a medical or religious exemption. However, citing a lack of medical reasoning and not wanting to misrepresent her religious faith, she ultimately resolved that being forced to get vaccinated was inherently wrong. It was a classic case of “my body, my choice,” but with a twist. In her view, while the phrase is often flung around conveniently in political discourse, it failed to hold true when it came to the vaccine mandate. This tug-of-war created real fear, the kind that keeps a person up at night, pondering the weight of their choices.
In a move that showcased how dire her situation felt, Steele made the tough decision to go through with the vaccine, despite feeling disappointed in herself. She scheduled an appointment at a local grocery store, a somewhat surreal location for such a monumental choice, and headed there with a heavy heart. With each passing moment, her feelings of disgust grew, the thought that she was caving in to external pressure was almost unbearable. Yet, the necessity to maintain her job loomed larger than her discomfort.
When she finally sat down in that grocery store pharmacy, Steele couldn’t shake the gravity of the moment. With eyes red from worry and frustration, she prepared to take a shot that she felt she was forced into. It was a bittersweet moment marked by her underlying faith that guided her through an experience that, for many, felt not like a personal choice but rather an imposed obligation. Her story is a poignant reminder of the everyday struggles faced by individuals caught in the web of conflicting beliefs and societal pressures, especially during a time when the mask of normalcy was stripped away.
