The San Francisco 49ers should be freaking out over the electromagnetic substation that could be the reason for the continued injuries of players.

I think fans want answers more than the organization and this theory may have gotten the attention fans were hoping for. 

As someone who grew up a 49ers fan, seeing a team struggle with this many injuries is heartbreaking.  

Playing a sport like football should condition the body of these players, but the radiation is deteriorating the muscles they worked so hard to obtain. 

The 49ers’ playoff run came to an end with a heartbreaking 41-6 loss to longtime rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, in the divisional round, but the 49ers did so without star players throughout the season. 

The injuries started in Week 1, with tight end George Kittle suffering a hamstring injury and would later tear his achilles during the NFC wild-card against the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Other players, including defensive end Nick Bosa and defensive lineman Mykel Williams, saw their seasons end with torn ACLs, causing a huge gap in the 49ers’ defense.  

As more players sustained injuries, concern from fans grew, which led to a theory about an electromagnetic power substation located next to the practice field causing the injuries.

At first, this sounded like a new way for 49ers fans to cope with how the season ended, but general manager John Lynch addressed the issue during a press conference, according to a Jan 21 Yahoo Sports article.

“The health and safety of our players is of the utmost priority. … I know that a lot of games have been won at this facility since it opened. We aren’t gonna turn a blind eye,” Lynch said. “We look into everything.”

I think the investigation is worth a shot because the number of muscle injuries is concerning. Most teams may suffer a couple similar injuries in a season, but the 49ers had 12 players placed on injured reserve going into the wild card.

Over the past decade the 49ers have had quite the list of players on injured reserve due to either achilles and ACL. 

NaVorro Bowman, who was with the team before the move to Levi’s Stadium, also tore his ACL in the NFC championship game during the 2013-2014 season, according to a CBS sports article.

If the investigations come back with significant data that supports the substation theory, what happens next? 

Although the 49ers were practicing in Santa Clara since 1988, the substation relocation was approved in November of 2011 according to the County of Santa Clara.

Moving the substation is not going to be an option since it powers such a large area the logical option would be to find another practice location temporarily until some data is collected.   

Will the 49ers move their practice field to the other side of the stadium or significantly farther away? 

On the other hand, there have been crazier theories or conspiracies around the league, like the Super Bowl logo conspiracy that claims you can predict the future winning team by the color of the logo, the theory involving a Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce script where fans theorized that Swift was the reason for the Kansas City Chiefs’ success and the classic referee bias where fans are convinced that the referees are favoring the opposing team. 

Beyond how the substation may be affecting the players, how could this impact the fans who have attended multiple 49ers games or reporters who attend every practice and are equally exposed to the electromagnetic field? 

The substation can be a real problem for the 49ers if it starts to affect more than just players.

Who will be held responsible if a reporter tore an Achilles tendon walking to the press box or a fan tore an ACL while looking for their seat? 

A lawsuit with fans is something that the 49ers want to avoid as it could lead to a large settlement check.  

Looking into the future, I hope this theory affects how the 49ers are viewed by drafted players, free agents or potential trade targets who may be concerned about constant exposure to the substation and will give them a reality check they deserve.  

Overall, no matter what data comes back, the 49ers should begin exploring ways to move their practice field.

If the organization wants to continue being a playoff contender, they need to get as far away from that substation.