The Curious Case of Aaron Rodgers is a particular audio characteristic from Nora Princiotti onThe Ringer NFL Present, exploring the previous couple of years of the star quarterback’s life, as Rodgers’s legacy as probably the greatest passers within the NFL has change into sophisticated by his public embrace of conspiracy principle tradition. He’s now 40, within the ultimate levels of his Corridor of Fame profession, on a crew that has positioned all of its Tremendous Bowl aspirations on his shoulders. However due to his outspokenness on numerous controversial points, notably vaccines, and his shut relationship with former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Rodgers may very well be dragging the NFL again into the tradition wars throughout an election yr—and as soon as once more revealing the ever-blurring line between athlete and public mental.
The next excerpt has been evenly edited for readability.
Simply a few years in the past, Aaron Rodgers virtually hosted Jeopardy!. Now he’s spouting conspiracy theories. It’s an odd circumstance for the NFL and its followers, to attempt to sq. the Jets’ star savior quarterback with the anti-establishment ideologue.
In any case, the NFL itself is a significant American establishment, one whose tradition thrives on hierarchy and obedience, the very issues Rodgers appears an increasing number of bent on rejecting. And now, within the eleventh hour of his profession, Rodgers’s legacy appears to hold within the stability of these competing values.
“That is the primary story of our occasions. That is the person versus the establishment,” mentioned Jon Ronson, a British documentarian who has spent many years learning conspiracy principle tradition, who I interviewed for this podcast.
As a crew, the Jets have tied their Tremendous Bowl hopes to Rodgers—and to their capability to present him what he needs. Which, maybe above all else, is to be his personal man. The Jets have given Rodgers enter on selections about teaching hires and personnel strikes. It’s a stage of affect that’s uncommon, even for a star participant. Rodgers missed the crew’s minicamp this spring due to a pre-planned journey to Egypt. It brought about a mini-controversy after head coach Robert Saleh described the absences as quote-unquote “unexcused,” however that has since blown over.
It’s a fragile stability, not as a result of soccer groups aren’t used to having gamers with all kinds of perception programs, or as a result of they don’t know deal with some dangerous press. However most groups need their quarterbacks to mannequin the behaviors they count on from everybody else. In a phrase: to lead. And dealing with Rodgers is a problem, as a result of the type of falling into place the NFL sometimes rewards is precisely the factor he received’t do.
So far as the Jets appear involved, if Rodgers needs to spend his off days this fall speaking with podcasters and pundits, so be it. Their method over the previous few months has been to show the opposite cheek and persist with soccer, even when he received’t. It’s an unprecedented scenario not solely as a result of Rodgers shouldn’t be your typical quarterback, but additionally due to the media ecosystem that offers him a platform, as Bryan Curtis, who covers media for The Ringer, explains
“I believe in case you and I went again … via soccer historical past, we might discover a variety of quarterbacks, or a variety of gamers a minimum of, that had political beliefs that weren’t that totally different than Aaron Rodgers, or had been simply let’s say outdoors the bounds of mainstream considering in the identical method that Aaron Rodgers’s opinions generally are,” Curtis mentioned. “I don’t suppose we’d discover any that both had been keen to share them like he’s, or had the platforms to share them like he does. I believe that’s a part of actually what makes him distinctive. He’s developing on this age the place he cannot solely hop on The Pat McAfee Present, however he can hop on any podcast and simply go for an hour. … Roger Staubach couldn’t have carried out that, Joe Montana couldn’t have carried out that, even when they’d wished to.”
I requested Curtis to clarify what he meant when he mentioned “couldn’t have carried out that.” Was it as a result of these views would have been thought of too controversial 30 years in the past, or as a result of the media surroundings was much less polarized than it’s at the moment?
“They might’ve been anxious about what it might’ve carried out to their picture or what it might’ve carried out to their locker rooms another way than Aaron Rodgers. But additionally the place would they’ve carried out it? What hour of tv in 1985 would’ve afforded them a discussion board to speak about politics, and vaccines, and different issues? There simply wasn’t a comparable platform for them,” Curtis mentioned.
To me, all of this will get to the guts of why Rodgers is a tough determine to make sense of. How are we supposed to consider him? He’s a citizen, with a proper to his personal opinions. Certain. However, he additionally has a significant platform as a star athlete, which comes with sure expectations of utilizing it properly. And he’s additionally change into a principal character in a second when sports activities and politics are mixing in an odd method. Our politics have change into an increasing number of welcoming to cultural figures who don’t have the standard credentials—and who don’t undergo a lot actual vetting. There’s real energy to that. I imply, Aaron Rodgers was almost a candidate for vp!
Context issues. The nearer he’s gotten to actual politics, the extra sharply his views have been analyzed. The CNN report claiming Rodgers had denied the Sandy Hook capturing, for example, got here simply after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed that Rodgers was on his VP quick listing. One of many reporters on that CNN story, Pamela Brown, mentioned she had heard Rodgers make these claims herself in 2013. When Rodgers was simply a quarterback, it wasn’t related information. As soon as it appeared like there was an opportunity he’d wind up on a presidential ticket, although, it was.
There’s positively some logic to that. Elected officers have affect that NFL quarterbacks don’t. However the muddier the road will get between athlete and public mind, the tougher that logic is to measure out. Does each considered one of Aaron Rodgers’s utterances this season should be fact-checked like an announcement from a candidate? If he voices a conspiracy principle from an NFL podium, who is predicted to reply? The Jets? The league? Anybody?
“Like these are all issues that nobody actually wanted to work out, a minimum of every day, 20 years in the past. And so in a method, he simply—he occurs to be the man that we get to work all this stuff out about,” Curtis mentioned.
I’ve a sense a variety of us could have the chance to maintain working via these issues as this season continues. That mentioned, as Rodgers approaches what’s in all probability his final greatest probability to complete an NFL season as a Tremendous Bowl champ, I additionally wager he’s sufficient of a media buff to know this: If he and the Jets could make an actual go of profitable the Tremendous Bowl this season, that story might a minimum of quickly drown out any others.
“I believe profitable video games modifications lots of people’s minds. Successful video games is a method to make individuals consider you as a soccer participant full-stop, and to have short-term amnesia about the remainder of you,” Curtis mentioned. “I believe if Aaron Rodgers goes out and wins 12 video games for the Jets, or God forbid, a Jets Tremendous Bowl, I believe there’ll be lots of people that begin eager about him extra as a quarterback than as a public mental. I simply suppose that’s the way it occurs,” Curtis mentioned
Typical knowledge within the soccer world says to shun distractions. However to Rodgers, they aren’t distractions in any respect. He’s nonetheless making an attempt to win the argument. Or perhaps he’s nonetheless making an attempt to win all the arguments. Vaccines. Censorship. How lengthy it takes to get better from an Achilles harm. Mainly anybody ever who’s advised him what to do, or doubted what he might do.
What units him other than different controversial athletes is the zeal he appears to have for being a part of the controversy. It’s not a sideshow. It’s his identification.
To listen to the complete episode ofThe Curious Case of Aaron Rodgers onThe Ringer NFL Present, click onHERE.
