Last season, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers made headlines with something he said. No, I’m not talking about his stance on the covid-19 vaccine, or his opinions on Ayahuasca. I’m talking about the back pain he suffered from as a result of a particular rule that the Packers have in place. Rodgers called the rule an “antiquated procedural thing in our league”, which requires the team to sleep in a hotel the night before home games.
The origins of the idea
Historically, coaches were concerned that young players would hit the town instead of getting a good night’s sleep. It is no good having a fantastic offensive line if they are hungover on Sunday morning. In the early days of the league, things were run with a much more firm grip by the owners on their squads. Almost military in nature, a football team would have had much more control over their private lives exercised. This would mean that players could be fined or even fired for things like drinking, smoking, carousing the town and of course having a weakness for the ladies. Even for the players who were married, expending energy in the bedroom with a partner would be seen as a dereliction of duty on the field.
Many of these sentiments extend into the modern era. No matter that they have been scientifically debunked, anyone who has played any sport, be that football, baseball, basketball, boxing, whatever, will have been told all their lives that “women weaken legs.”
In recent decades, of course, players are not seen so much as belonging to a team as being contracted by them. They have far more autonomy and respect than their predecessors did. But many of these antiquated rules have been kept on by many teams as a sort of team-building measure. And it is true to some extent that being together outside of “office hours” helps unit cohesion. Anyone that you share a roof with, becomes family in a sense that is much more real than symbolic. Breaking bread is a sacred act and to do so together binds us closer to our comrades. Teams have long used these moments to discuss tactics in a less formal setting in an effort to bring the disparate players into a whole.
Teams commonly spend time together at all levels of sport
At Beckman Catholic, faith is infused across the curriculum, which includes more than praying before each class. Our clubs and athletic teams make prayer part of practices, games and events. The football team attended Mass this morning and joined for prayer and a meal after. pic.twitter.com/M8VQuiNSSf
— Beckman Catholic (@BeckmanCatholic) November 5, 2021
See also: Could a high-protein diet help you get a deeper sleep?
The pandemic twist
During the pandemic of the 2020 season, the NFL elevated this selective tradition to an actual league mandate. The rule reads: “The Home Team will be required to stay at the team hotel the night prior to each game. All hotels must comply with the requirements set forth in the Team Travel Protocol and must provide parking for all players and essential staff segregated from the public.” The new diktat was seen in the light of maintaining a fully isolated league that could continue to field teams without undue exposure to the covid-19 virus. No longer could smaller market teams, or teams that had not seen the sense in wasting money in this way, choose to have their players sleep in their own beds the night before a game. And this is where Aaron Rodgers comes in to the fray. He blamed his chronic back pain on having to sleep in an unfamiliar bed on what is arguably the most important night’s sleep of the week, and he is 100% correct. Leaving aside arguments about drinking and carousing, there are far more sensible ways to maintain a covid-protected environment. One would be mandatory vaccination, not only for the players but also their immediate families (although that solution would not have satisfied Rodgers either). Another would make it a breach of contract to be in close proximity to people outside of your close social bubble. There were many routes the league could have taken, but hotel stays were the one they landed on.
🔰 Here’s Aaron Rodgers telling Joe Rogan that the NFL sent some Fauci stooge to each team to threaten and pressure players into getting the Covid-19 vaccine as if it prevented the virus. pic.twitter.com/6lPFeAIe1t
— 3rd Eye Wiseguy (@3rdEyeWiseguy) January 11, 2023
They can’t all stay in the penthouse suite
The marquee players will get their own rooms, and some of them might even get something really plush. But for rookies and lesser known players, they will have to bunk up with a teammate. Imagine your own work colleagues. How many of them would you like to share a Holiday Inn double room with? Former NFL defensive end Stephen White wrote for Bleacher Report a few years ago, “Some guys snore, others stay up all night on the phone, and still some have poor hygiene. Any of those situations, or many others not listed, could contribute to you not having a good night’s sleep — something that is usually vital to performing well the next day.”
For 25 seasons neither Morten Anderson nor any teammate that bunked up with him on road games got much sleep..
— Pumpkin Escobar (@Robot_Beep_Boop) November 5, 2021
Hotel rooms had a non-stop revolving door of strange.. #NFL #LegendsOfTomorrow pic.twitter.com/TRmf5dOBEN
Certainly! The article delves into various concepts:
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Historical Team Regulations: Initially, NFL teams imposed strict rules, including mandatory stays at team hotels before games. This was primarily to ensure players stayed focused and rested rather than indulging in activities that could affect their performance, such as drinking or staying out late.
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Origins of the Rule: The rule stemmed from concerns about players' behavior outside the field impacting their performance due to lack of sleep or indulgence in activities deemed detrimental to their physical readiness.
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Evolution of Team Dynamics: Over time, players gained more autonomy, but some traditional rules persisted for team-building purposes, fostering cohesion among players by spending time together off the field.
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Pandemic Influence: During the 2020 season, the NFL made the rule mandatory for all teams, not just as a tradition but as a COVID-19 precaution to isolate players and minimize exposure risks.
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Aaron Rodgers' Complaint: Rodgers attributed his back pain to the discomfort of sleeping in unfamiliar beds before home games, highlighting the potential physical drawbacks of this mandate.
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Alternative COVID-19 Strategies: The article suggests alternative measures like mandatory vaccination or stricter social bubble regulations as more effective means of COVID-19 prevention than mandatory hotel stays.
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Player Accommodations: The accommodations in team hotels vary, with star players often getting individual rooms while others, especially rookies or lesser-known players, might have to share, leading to potential discomfort and sleep disruptions.
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Expert Testimony: Quotes from former NFL players, such as Stephen White, highlight how sharing rooms can affect a player's sleep quality, thereby potentially impacting their game performance.
The article intertwines NFL team traditions, the evolution of player autonomy, COVID-19 protocols, and the impact of sleep quality on player performance, showcasing the complexities of balancing tradition, health, and performance in professional sports.
