The San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) are looking for the cause of the number of injuries. We also plan to listen to the conspiracy theories floating around all the time.
‘ESPN’ quoted general manager John Lynch’s remarks on the 22nd (Korean time) and reported that the 49ers plan to investigate whether the substation near their home stadium, Levi’s Stadium, is related to frequent injuries to players.
“I think we need to investigate everything because the health and safety of the athletes is at stake,” Lynch said, expressing his determination to test all causes, saying, “We are contacting everyone to see if there are any studies other than putting a device under the fence and coming up with numbers that we don’t know what they mean. That’s the only study we know of, and the results have already been refuted.”
A panoramic view of Levi’s Stadium, the home stadium of the Pony Niners. Photo = ⓒAFPBBNews = News1
The 49ers use Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, a city near San Francisco, as their home stadium. There is also a club training ground nearby.
There is a substation next to this stadium, and it has been claimed that the excessive electromagnetic fields coming from this substation are the cause of frequent injuries to 49ers players.
At one time, it was just a conspiracy theory floating around online, but at some point, it began to circulate in the 49ers locker room as well. A good example is what receiver Kendrick Bourne mentioned after tight end George Kittle suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in his right foot during a playoff game against Philadelphia.
This claim was met with refutation from several experts. Frank de Vocht, a professor at Bristol Medical School in England, known as the leading authority on the effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields on the human body, dismissed such conspiracy theories as nothing more than ‘nonsense’ in an interview with the Washington Post.
Even in such a situation, the reason the general manager directly mentioned the investigation is because the 49ers have so many injuries. Just looking at this season, defensive end Nick Bosa (ruptured knee anterior cruciate ligament), linebacker Fred Warner (ankle fracture), and Kittle were all out for the season. Rookie Mikel Williams, a first-round draft pick, also suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
Quarterback Brock Purdy (toe injury), receivers Ricky Pearsall (knee and ankle sprains), Jauan Jennings (ribs, shoulder, ankle) and linebacker Tatum Bethune (groin injury) are also out for extended periods of time.
This season alone, 20 players were placed on the reserve list due to injury. Their total annual salary alone exceeded $95 million.
General Manager Lynch said, “We are always looking at trends and data and everything we can. The strength and performance of our players is the most important issue every season. This season has been difficult and it has taken a huge toll on the team. We will continue to monitor our players going forward,” adding that they are doing their best to prevent injuries.
Due to the nature of football, which involves a lot of intense movement, injuries to players are inevitable. “Injuries are part of the game,” Lynch acknowledged, adding, “We’re not trying to eliminate injuries, we’re trying to reduce the risk. We’re going to review all of our processes. This process has already started and, frankly, it hasn’t stopped.”
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