I have only written about football once or twice, but I believe Aaron Rodgers’ torn Achilles warrants mention.
A lot of people don’t love Aaron Rodgers. They may not appreciate him because he’s a conspiracy theorist. It might be his personality. I don’t know. He lacks humility, so there’s that. If you ask him why he’s so unpopular, he’ll attribute it to big Pharma, perhaps stemming from his dissemination of disinformation about the Covid vaccine and the way his beliefs influenced his fans.
When the NFL required players to get Covid vaccinations, Rodgers refused, but was still allowed to play. Reporters asked him about it, and he responded by playing with words, saying he had been “immunized.” “So you have been vaccinated for Covid?” “I’ve been immunized.” He was not vaccinated. Think about all the immunocompromised people he influenced. How many died?
Anyway, he had a bad night on Monday, and it was ironic because Rodgers is a ‘9/11 truther’ He questions everything, including whether airplanes were involved in the attack.
One thing I can say with certainty is that Monday was the 22nd anniversary of 9/11. It was the first game Aaron Rogers played with his new team, the New York Jets. I’ll spell it out. New York Jet, Aaron Rodgers was taken down on 9/11. It is Ironic. (Alanis Morissette, pay attention to what irony is.)
As an anti science guy, one has to wonder if Aaron Rodgers will forego the views of orthopedic specialists and instead pursue medicinal aid from his conspiracy pal, Joe Rogan. Do anal leaches and sunning genitalia work on a torn Achilles? What about a compress of horse dewormer, or a hydroxychloroquine bleach enema?
Why am I having trouble feeling compassion for Rodgers? As a former flight attendant, I did my own stunts. I had a career-ending injury; I know what it’s like to have your world change in the blink of an eye. Except I didn’t make $75 million for showing up to work for two minutes.
Allow me redirect this diatribe to a less contentious subject, the man. Stadium owners save millions in ground upkeep by using artificial turf. Rogers was injured on plastic grass that saved the owners millions. Oh, but they lost $75 million in as many seconds when Rogers slipped on it.
Data shows the number of injuries on artificial turf far outnumbers the other stuff that breathes oxygen into the environment. (🤭 Granola breath said the E word.)
The history of plastic turf, yawn: A 1950s military study exposed the shocking fact that young people living in metropolitan areas were less physically fit than their suburban counterparts. I know, crazy findings!
That is the reason the Ford Foundation developed a synthetic solution for urban playgrounds.
The Houston Astros were the first team to install artificial turf when they opened the Astrodome in 1965. Within five years, more than a dozen other pro and college stadiums also went synthetic.
Of the NFL’s 32 teams, 16 now have artificial turf in their home stadium, including the NY Jets because… money. This enables owners to eliminate seven to eight figures in annual maintenance expenses required for real grass, and it turns something seen as a liability into a cash-generating asset.
How so? Renting out their stadiums for concerts and other events will not damage that which is indestructible. Manufacturers contend it remains consistent in every environment, including rain, sleet, or snow.
Profits for owners do not align with safety for athletes. Football players have been shouting into the wind about artificial turf for 50 years.
Players have a 28% greater percentage of non-contact lower extremity injuries when playing on artificial turf. Of those non-contact injuries, they have a 32% increase in the amount of non-contact knee injuries on fake turf and a staggering 69% higher rate of non-contact foot or ankle injuries on artificial turf, compared to real grass.
There are solutions, but they are expensive. Stadium owners prioritize profit margins over players. Just like airlines aren’t concerned with people and Netflix doesn’t want to pay writers and actors residuals, and Amazon won’t provide air conditioning in their delivery trucks. Every other corporate glutton does this.
I have a hard time feeling sorry for Aaron Rogers, who made $75 million for four plays without completing a pass. Grass might be cheaper, fellas.
The NFL, Pat Tillman, and Jesus – A lot from Lydia
My last football post is worth reading because the information is pertinent to understanding NFL corruption past and present and the political manipulation and exploitation of Pat Tillman.
Damar Hamlin healthy inactive in Bills’ season opener vs. Jets on ‘Monday Night Football’
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/nov/05/aaron-rodgers-woke-mob-covid-interview