Despite this year's Super Bowl taking place at the home of the San Francisco 49ers, neither competing team will train at the franchise's base at Levi's Stadium.
Both the Seahawks and the Patriots have made other arrangements in southern California, which seems like a nothing story at first, but becomes intriguing when you consider the viral theory surrounding the 49ers' facilities.
In October, a tweet posted by an NFL content creator named Chase Senior suggested a link between the Niners' enormous and consistent injury issues and the electrical substation next door to their training facility.
READ MORE: Sabalenka's message for rival after photo snub causes stir
READ MORE: Aussies suffer shock pre-World Cup loss in 'alien' conditions
READ MORE: Origin star's surprise slide in NRL's best fullbacks list
https://x.com/Chase_Senior/status/1983283950853468527?s=20
The theory suggests the players' close proximity to the electromotive force output by the station has somehow contributed to their lack of durability.
While it is obviously an unproven and outlandish theory, the fact that the 49ers have once again been completely derailed by injuries this season has led to its prominence, having been viewed on X over 4.5m times.
They lost defensive and offensive stars to significant injuries across the season, including Nick Bosa (torn ACL), Fred Warner (dislocated ankle), George Kittle (torn Achilles) and Mykel Williams (torn ACL), while their quarterback Brock Purdy also missed large chunks of the season.
Players internally are aware of the theory and have raised it with coaches, and now team general manager John Lynch has vowed to look into "everything" related to their injury woes, yes, even the substation theory.
Of course, the last time the Super Bowl was at Levi's Stadium back in 2016, both teams made the same call in avoiding training at the 49ers' facilities.
Part of the theory suggests the substation has been upgraded and increased in usage in the last few years, which is why the injuries are now becoming more common.
There's no actual suggestion that the Seahawks and Patriots are avoiding the training ground because of the substation, but there's no doubt sports teams have their superstitious sides and it would have crossed their mind.
If you played for the Seahawks or the Patriots, you'd likely be pretty happy with the alternate training plans.
All of this is relevant because of the location of Levi's Stadium and the 49ers' facilities.
If you've been paying attention, you'll have noted that we have referred to this year's Super Bowl as being 'at the home of the 49ers', not 'in San Francisco'.
Because, despite the advertising, it's not.
The game will be played in Santa Clara, which is 77km away from San Francisco's famous Golden Gate Bridge.
It would be like expecting an event to take place at the MCG, but instead it's down the highway at Kardinia Park in Geelong. Or for a Sydney event to take place in Wollongong.
The reason San Francisco doesn't play in the bay area dates back to 2006, where the franchise couldn't get on the same page with the city's plan to demolish the ageing Candlestick Park and replace it with a new stadium, ideally to help the area lure an upcoming Olympics.
Logistical issues led to ownership opting to venture south to Santa Clara, where Levi's Stadium was constructed and opened in 2014. The team wasn't renamed or rebranded, but it was a fairly significant move out of America's 17th biggest city.
Santa Clara is not a hustling and bustling city like San Francisco. It's not a place that screams 'Super Bowl'.
Instead it has a quieter, more suburban vibe. Its population is just 229,000, while San Fran is closer to 900,000.
Of course, it transforms on the weekend of a 49ers game, with local hotels filling to the brim and fans coming from all directions to pack the venue.
And despite the location, Niners games don't lack any of the home field advantages that might come with such a move.
A Super Bowl is a different beast, however. The city will be packed for two, maybe even three weeks.
Many traveling fans will likely set up base in San Francisco or San Jose and make the trek in for game day.
But those watching should know that even if the broadcast is showing aerial drone shots of downtown San Francisco during the game, the match is well over an hour away.
And right next door to an electrical substation, for whatever that is worth.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.