In Sprint to Reopening, Sports Hits Pandemic Obstacles

There is perhaps no greater hurdle to a return to normalcy in sports than the hesitancy among some elite athletes to be vaccinated.

Fans are returning in droves to stadiums. Games and tournaments are proceeding with regularity. Sports officials are projecting confidence that the pandemic is in the rearview mirror. Yet no playing field, court, ring or fairway is safe from the disruptions of the coronavirus, a contrast to the spirit of reopening that has taken hold in many quarters. The latest reminder came Wednesday when the Phoenix Suns basketball team announced that Chris Paul, their transcendent point guard, could be sidelined from the Western Conference finals because of the N.B.A.’s coronavirus protocols.