Theory: Are the 49ers’ Injury Woes Caused by an Electrical Substation Next to Their Facility?

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The San Francisco 49ers and injuries have become an oddly consistent duo. Every season, it feels less like a question of if someone gets hurt and more like who’s next. Hamstrings, Achilles, high ankles — it’s practically a bingo card. But now, a new and wildly unconventional theory has entered the chat, and it has nothing to do with training staff, turf, or bad luck. Instead, it points the finger at electricity.

According to scientist Peter Cowan, the 49ers’ long-running injury crisis may be linked to an electrical substation located next to the team’s practice facility near Levi’s Stadium. Cowan argues that low-frequency electromagnetic fields could be quietly sabotaging players’ bodies over time. As he puts it,

This might sound like a plot twist from a sci-fi movie, but Cowan backs it up with data. Since moving to Levi’s Stadium in 2014, the 49ers have been, statistically speaking, the most injured franchise in the NFL. In his words,

The numbers are eye-opening. The team has ranked top five in Adjusted Games Lost for 10 of the past 11 seasons. They’ve suffered 7–8 full Achilles or patellar ruptures, while the league average is just 2–3 per year total. Add more than 40 major hamstring and calf tears and recurring high-ankle injuries every single season, and suddenly “bad luck” feels like an understatement.

Cowan didn’t stop at spreadsheets. He physically visited the practice fields with a gaussmeter to measure electromagnetic exposure. As he explained,

His readings showed levels far above typical background exposure, especially inside team facilities like weight rooms and recovery areas.

So why hasn’t this been thoroughly investigated before? Cowan raises that exact question himself, stating,

He argues that current federal safety guidelines focus only on heating effects from EMFs and ignore non-thermal biological impacts, despite thousands of peer-reviewed studies suggesting otherwise.

What makes this theory even more intriguing is that the 49ers have still been highly successful. Under Kyle Shanahan, and previously Jim Harbaugh, the team has remained competitive year after year. Yet despite all that success, they haven’t lifted a Super Bowl trophy since 1995. One can’t help but wonder what their trophy cabinet might look like if injuries weren’t such a constant companion.

Now, with all theories aside, the 49ers head into the playoffs, facing the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round. Whether electricity or Eagles prove to be the bigger obstacle remains to be seen.

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