The 49ers have a perception problem when it comes to the possibility that their uptick in injuries has been caused by the proximity of the team’s practice facility to an electrical substation.
Owner Jed York addressed the situation during a Wednesday visit to the Up & Adams show.
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“That’s been there since 1987,” York said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. “Jerry Rice was there. It didn’t seem to affect Jerry Rice. It seems like Jerry Rice can still play today. I don’t believe that that’s something that is a real issue. . . . I think we can debunk it.”
They need to. Quickly. Because it will potentially impact the team’s ability to attract free agents. All things equal, who would choose the 49ers over a team that doesn’t practice next to an electrical substation? That will force the 49ers to sweeten the pot in order to win a jump ball for a player when competing with another team.
“I think that’s something that would deter people away from coming here, or vice versa, if it’s not an issue, it would bring people in,” Cardinals tight end Trey McBride told the Chronicle. “But I think it’s something that needs to be looked at. . . . Obviously it’s gotten a lot more traction recently, so hopefully they will study it and get it figured out soon. . . .
“Honestly, I just know being that close to it cannot be beneficial for your body. So if anything, it’s a negative thing that they have there.”
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Even if the 49ers secure an official certificate from an accredited university or other governmental agency declaring the theory to be nonsense, hooey, and/or poppycock, some will still believe it. That’s one of the basic problems of post-truth America; people believe whatever they want to believe, with facts being irrelevant annoyances.
