Athletes at Arizona State University are protesting a COVID-19 vaccine booster mandate for students who want to participate in away games. More than 1,700 people have signed an online petition titled “FREEDOM OF CHOICE: ASU STUDENT-ATHLETE COVID-19 BOOSTER PRACTICE” that calls on the university to give student-athletes the option to choose whether to receive the booster shot for COVID-19. According to the petition, the university has mandated COVID-19 booster shots for basketball players, wrestlers and gymnasts to travel to away games. They say they were notified of the policy on Jan. 11. The petition emphasizes that the university’s student-athletes aren’t “anti-vaccination” or “anti-booster,” but asks that their “decision and freedom to dictate what we do with our bodies” be respected. “We are not downplaying or denying the intended use and research behind the COVID-19 vaccination booster shot,” the petition states. “We are simply asking for the freedom to make our …