I knew San Francisco was home to the original hippie-dippy loons out there, but this one really confirms the stereotype.
The 49ers have been bit by the injury bug this year, and there's an online conspiracy theory that it's not merely the wear and tear of being in brutal combat week after week that has caused the spike in injuries, but another source ...
Now this may seem crazy on the surface, but a lot of people, including some experts, think there is validity to the theory.
... An investigation into the viral conspiracy theory that the electrical substation near their training facility and Levi's Stadium is contributing to those injuries, general manager John Lynch said Wednesday.
'Because it deals with allegedly the health and safety of our players, I think you have to look into everything,' Lynch said. 'We've been reaching out to anyone and everyone to see, does a study exist other than a guy sticking an apparatus underneath the fence and coming up with a number that I have no idea what that means? That's what we know exists. We've heard that debunked. ... The health and safety of our players is of the utmost priority. We pore into it. Our ownership, Jed [York] is tremendous in terms of resources, and we'll always be cognizant of things. I know that a lot of games have been won at this facility since it opened, but yeah, we aren't going to turn a blind eye.'
The theory has been shot down by various scientists and medical professionals. Frank de Vocht, a professor of epidemiology and public health at Bristol Medical School in England, is considered a leading expert on how EMF affects humans and told The Washington Post that the theory is 'nonsense.'
Still, the 49ers' injury issues over the past decade or so are robust enough to take nothing off the table.
If the EMFs are actually causing injuries that would be wild, and it would mean a lot of people who happen to live near substations might have a legal case against the electric companies.
But at least it won't effect any other teams the rest of the year, right?
Uh-oh.
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