Taylor Rapp has quickly become a role model for the Los Angeles Rams, specifically in the Asian community. Being a Chinese American, Rapp wants to “show that Asians can play,” encouraging young athletes to pursue their dreams.
That campaign was supposed to continue abroad in China next week, with the Rams and Rapp traveling to Beijing and Shanghai for nearly two weeks. However, due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, that trip has been canceled.
The trip could take place at some point, but now plans have been set.
Here was the original announcement from Rapp and the Rams on Twitter.
It’s disappointing, but it’s simply impossible for the Rams to take this trip. The U.S. has closed travel to China and airlines have canceled flights there in hopes of containing the virus.
There are more than 24,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus around the world with nearly 500 deaths reported as a result of it. Only two of those deaths have been outside of China.
The Rams have been rumored as a team that could play a game in China in the future, and this planned trip increased speculation that a game could happen at some point. For now, those plans will be put on hold until the virus is contained.
