Aaron Rodgers won last Sunday and led the Green Bay Packers to a 24-10 win over the Washington Football team. He threw three touchdowns and zero interceptions, and went off in Week 8 his “Last Dance” year in Lambeau, helped improve the team’s record to an NFC North-leading 6-1.
As keen as Rodgers was, the afternoon might have been a little different if he hadn’t scheduled a morning session with Packers chiropractor Mike Zoelle. The 37-year-old quarterback reportedly woke up early at the team hotel to have a backache. He said after the game, “I woke up this morning and my back killed me. It was all locked and I got in here early and I’m grateful for the guys who took care of me to go out and play today. “
For those who don’t know, the Packers have a time-honored tradition – Rodgers called it “an antiquated procedural matter in our league” – of sleeping in a hotel the night before home games. Why? Not just for pasta and camaraderie. Historically, coaches have been concerned that young players would hit town instead of indulging in the quiet they needed. and show up “drunk in the huddle”. It’s also likely that the team officials wanted the players to save their energy on the game instead of wasting it with a partner in the bedroom. “Women weaken the legs” however imprecise, is a popular mantra among trainers.
Last year, as part of the NFL’s far-reaching COVID safety measures, the league increased the “hotel before home games” from an unwritten, selective rule (cheaper teams typically didn’t accept spending thousands of dollars on unnecessary expenses). to a mandate. The rule is: “The home team has to stay the night before each game in the team hotel. All hotels must meet the requirements set out in the Team Travel Protocol and must provide parking spaces that are separate from the public for all players and key employees. ”
Across the sports world, visiting teams have long been exposed to the wrath of local fans when they stay in hotels. Paris Saint-Germain fans earlier this year Set off fireworks outside hotel rooms where FC Barcelona players slept at the wicked hour of 4 a.m. Years ago, while taking a nap before the game, LeBron James complained about a “full concert” takes place in front of his hotel window. Still, sleeping in a private hotel room has its own challenges.
Sleep is particularly valuable for athletes – they constantly survive long days of travel, waking up early and annoying injuries. In order to channel top performance the next day, you need an optimal sleeping climate. That means a room with the right bed size, the right temperature, the right amount of darkness. The correct answers here are not universal; they are simply what is most familiar to a particular player. If this, this, and that helps you get seven hours or more of consistent sleep, stick with it.
Therefore sleeping in a “strange” bed for what Rodgers called “the most important night of sleep” [of the week]“Makes absolutely no sense. Once the league has a better understanding of how long its COVID logs will stay in place, teams should move on to abandoning the policy on home teams in hotels. Think about it: Aaron Rodgers, love or hate him, is an incredible quarterback. A B-list bed at the Ashwaubenon Raddison might not scratch him off from a game, but it can add to back pain and affect his ability to spin the ball and toss it across the field on any given day.
It’s not just stars who struggle with the consequences of a bad night’s sleep. As former NFL defensive end Stephen White wrote for Bleacher Report a few years ago, younger players often have to team up with roommates. White wrote: “Some boys snore, others stay up on the phone all night and some still have poor hygiene. Any of these situations, or many others not listed, can contribute to your poor sleep – something that is usually essential for good performance the next day. ”
He is absolutely right. There will always be players who go out the night before a game and make bad decisions. But that’s up to them. Let those who take the next day seriously – and their sleep extremely seriously – crash where only they can crash best.
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