Virtually all of the San Francisco 49ers' stars have been affected by injuries over the past two years, including George Kittle’s torn Achilles, season-ending injuries to Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, Brock Purdy’s extended absence, Brandon Aiyuk’s torn ACL, and more.
Many have chalked it up to bad luck or training staff issues, but a new theory has emerged from dubious sources: the 49ers’ injury woes may be linked to an electric substation near the team’s stadium and practice facility.
Some players have even heard the theory firsthand, though experts say there’s no credibility to the idea.
Here’s what you need to know about the electric substation conspiracy theory and why experts dismiss it.
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49ers electric substation theories
The theory linking an electric substation near the 49ers’ stadium and practice facility began with a tweet from Peter Cowan, who wrote in a Substack article that “low-frequency electromagnetic fields can degrade collagen, weaken tendons, and cause soft-tissue damage.”
Cowan argues that while the supposed damage may be harmless to the average person, it could put players at higher risk for soft-tissue injuries, such as ligament and tendon tears. “The damage is subtle, until a routine cut or block ends in catastrophic rupture,” he says.
Low-frequency electromagnetic fields can degrade collagen, weaken tendons, and cause soft-tissue damage at levels regulators call "safe."
— Peter Cowan | Sunlight is Life (@living_energy) January 6, 2026
We have a real world case study proving this:
An NFL team whose practice facility sits next to a massive electrical substation.
THREAD 🧵… pic.twitter.com/fOVvrVTu5I
Cowan isn’t the first to raise concerns about the Silicon Valley Power Mission Substation, a real facility, and its possible link to the 49ers’ injury woes. Former 49ers guard Jon Feliciano once said players joked in the locker room that the substation was causing injuries.
49ers WR Kendrick Bourne proved that the theory made its way back to the locker room after the team's wild-card win over the Philadelphia Eagles, telling reporters, "It’s that power plant," before quickly adding that he was joking.
According to the Washington Post, some players are taking it seriously, citing agents who claim they have heard concerns from clients about the possibility of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) leading to a greater risk of injury, potentially hurting the 49ers' chances of recruiting players to the Bay Area in free agency.
However, experts are pushing back on the theory. Bristol Medical School professor Frank de Vocht told the Washington Post the idea that EMFs are leading to more injuries is "nonsense," while UC Davis radiology professor Jerrold Bushberg told Front Office Sports, "there is no firmly established evidence" that EMFs can weaken soft tissue.
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There are two different types of radiation, Northwestern radiology professor Gayle Woloschak told SFGate: ionizing and non-ionizing. While ionizing is dangerous and is found in nuclear reactors, non-ionizing radiation surrounds people just about all of the time and is what could be emitted from an electrical substation.
"In the huge number of studies that have tried to look at the effects of non-ionizing radiation on cells, there’s been no reported damage to DNA, proteins or other molecules that’s been identified," Wolschak said.
The San Francisco Chronicle spoke to University of Colorado professor Frank Barnes, who leads a research group "looking at the effects of electric and magnetic fields on biological systems." Barnes was not definitive, warning that research about how electromagnetic fields might impact humans has dried up in recent decades, but said the theory is "unlikely."
In the worst-case scenario, Barnes said, EMFs could be "changing the oxidative stress level" of players, forcing them to overcompensate when working out, but even the odds of that being true are "pretty darn low." The idea that EMFs are actually weakening soft tissues just cannot be proven at this point, Barnes explained.
Even more convincing than any science might be the simple fact the 49ers have practiced next to the substation in Santa Clara since 1988, the Washington Post confirmed, long before Levi's Stadium was built. The team's rash of injuries is largely tied to the last handful of years
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What is EMF radiation?
EMF radiation is frequency waves emitted by just about every electronic device. Non-ionizing radiation, which is all radiation outside of nuclear reactors, nuclear weapons and similar devices, is considered too weak to damage cells or DNA.
While the 49ers theory argues the Silicon Valley Power Mission Substation is emitting such high levels of EMF radiation that it is affecting players' soft tissue, there is no indication such a level of EMF radiation can actually weaken tissue.
EMF exposure side effects
While ionizing EMF radiation can damage cells are requires precaution, non-ionizing EMF radiation is "not known to damage DNA or cells directly," according to the National Cancer Institute. While some claim to have EMF hypersensitivity that causes headaches, fatigue or skin issues, EMF hypersensitivity is not a recognized medical condition.
What is an electrical substation?
An electrical substation is intended to "convert electricity into different voltages" and transmit it into homes, businesses and neighborhoods as needed, according to National Grid.
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Where is Levi’s Stadium?
- Santa Clara, California
Despite being named the San Francisco 49ers, the team plays and practices in Santa Clara, about 35 minutes south of the city in its name. Santa Clara sits just to the north of San Jose.
Levi's Stadium is situated next to a residential neighborhood on its east side and an amusement park to its south and west. The Santa Clara Convention Center is also across the street from the stadium.
The 49ers' outdoor practice field is next to the stadium and directly across from the Silicon Valley Power Mission Substation.
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49ers practice facility next to electric substation
While some teams have their practice facilities in a different location than their stadium, the 49ers have their practice field situated directly next to Levi's Stadium.
Just to the south of both the stadium and the practice field, which is labeled "multi-use field" on the map below, is the Silicon Valley Power Mission Substation.
Here's a complete look at the campus:
Google Earth
When did Levi’s Stadium open?
- Inaugural season: 2014
Levi's Stadium opened in 2014, less than three years after workers first broke ground. After finalizing a deal with Santa Clara, the 49ers broke ground on Levi's Stadium in April of 2012 and built it in time for an official opening at the start of the 2014 season.
Levi's Stadium hosted its first Super Bowl in its second season of operation.
49ers old stadium
The 49ers played at Candlestick Park in San Francisco from 1971-2013, sharing the stadium with MLB's San Francisco Giants for the first 29 years of that stretch. Candlestick Park was located next to Candlestick Point, just south of the heart of the city.
After the Giants moved in 2000, the 49ers worked to find a newer stadium for themselves but gave up hope on finding a deal for a new venue in San Francisco in 2006. After looking at locations in Santa Clara, plans for what is now Levi's Stadium started to reach the approval phase in 2009.
The 49ers have been headquartered in Santa Clara since the late 1980s, so the move consolidated all of the team's operations, from front office to practice to games themselves, onto one campus.
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49ers injury report 2025
Here are the 49ers' notable injuries this season and whether they are soft-tissue injuries:
| Player | Injury | Soft-tissue injury? |
| Nick Bosa | Torn ACL | Yes |
| Brock Purdy | Turf toe | Yes |
| George Kittle | Torn Achilles, ankle sprain | Yes |
| Fred Warner | Fractured ankle | No |
| Ricky Pearsall | PCL sprain | Yes |
| Jauan Jennings | Ankle sprains, broken ribs | Partially |
| Mykel Williams | Torn ACL | Yes |
| Trent Williams | Hamstring | Yes |
The laundry list of 49ers injuries before 2025 isn't any shorter. From Christian McCaffrey's calf and knee injuries that derailed his 2024 campaign, to Brandon Aiyuk's 2024 ACL tear, to Nick Bosa's 2020 ACL tear and to Jimmy Garoppolo's ACL tear in 2018 and season-ending foot injury in 2022, the injury bug always seems to bite San Francisco's stars.
Kittle in particular has also dealt with numerous soft tissue injuries over the years, including an ankle issue that kept him off the field at the start of this season, though he has been able to stay on the field for most of the past five seasons.
One look at the 49ers' 2025 injuries indicates most of the notable ones are soft tissue issues. While Jauan Jennings' broken ribs and Fred Warner's fractured ankle don't fit that description, San Francisco lost both Bosa and Mykel Williams to ACL tears, while Purdy's turf toe injury involved the severe stretching of ligaments or tendons in the big toe.
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George Kittle injury details
Kittle suffered a torn Achilles in the 49ers' wild-card playoff win over the Eagles, going down after his first catch of the game. Replay showed the classic mechanism for an Achilles tear, with Kittle's calf appearing to reverberate after the tendon snapped.
The injury is set to force Kittle to spend most of the offseason rehabbing, and his path back to the field in time to play Week 1 is a difficult one.
Where is the Super Bowl in 2026?
The 2026 Super Bowl will be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. It will be the second Super Bowl at the venue and the first in 10 years, after the stadium hosted Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season.
The electrical substation theory doesn’t suggest that a single three-hour game at Levi’s Stadium increases injury risk. Rather, it claims that practicing near the facility daily over several months could gradually weaken players’ ligaments and tendons.
Of course, there is no evidence that the substation has any effect on players’ injury risk.