📵 How QR Codes are About to Change College Football

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🗞 The Big Story: Why the NFL is Ignoring a Life-Changing New CTE Test

📉 Biggest Loser: Debunking Jaylen Brown’s Viral Workout

🏆 Winner’s Circle: How QR Codes are About to Change College Football

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🗞 The Big Story

There’s finally a solution to the NFL’s biggest problem, but they’re purposely trying to ignore the fact that it even exists.

Background: It’s no secret that the NFL has been attempting to hide the deadly effects of CTE since settling with thousands of former players in 2011 for over $1 billion.

And if it were up to them, that’s the last we would have heard about it.

But the Washington Post just reported that there’s actually a series of tests that can now check for CTE that the NFL is refusing to offer its former players.

New Solution: When the settlement was finalized in 2017, it included language that said the NFL would pay for “cutting-edge” tests to help catch the effects of CTE early on with the hope of treating the symptoms.

And that very same year, a new series of tests was approved by the FDA that helped diagnose symptoms of CTE, like Alzheimer's, with more than 95% certainty - a drastic improvement over what existed before.

Empty Promises: But for whatever reason, the NFL has refused to pay for those tests, which has led to at least three former players dying in the last seven years from the effects of CTE but without knowing it:

• Chuck Arrobio (Vikings ‘66): Died in 2018

• Vaughan Johnson (Saints & Eagles ‘86-’94): Died in 2019

• Howard Carson (Rams ‘81-’83): Died in 2021

Now, it’s evident to me why the NFL doesn’t want to live up to its end of the bargain and provide “cutting-edge” testing for its players":

Because it’s easier to ignore the problem and keep making money than to try to fix it.

And as the league tries to move to an 18-game schedule, the last thing it wants is for CTE to be back in the headlines.

📉 Biggest Loser…?

What is Jaylen Brown doing?

Well, I looked into it, and he honestly might be a genius.

Background: Brown went viral for an underwater training session he posted from the Middle East.

In the images and video, he can be seen doing weighted underwater handstands and even dribbling a basketball with his left hand.

But is this type of training even effective?

Physical Benefits: There are the obvious benefits of training in the water that your grandma might talk about after her water aerobics class, such as:

• Lower impact on the joints

• Increased resistance during movement

But the more I researched it, the more I realized that many of the benefits weren’t all that obvious.

Hidden Perks: For starters, being 10+ feet underwater acts as a compression sleeve for your whole body.

This means that when you train, you actively prevent muscle soreness while improving your muscle recovery through increased blood and oxygen flow.

Then there’s the benefit of training your VO2 max, which essentially increases the amount of oxygen your lungs can hold—something that is obviously beneficial for an athlete like Brown.

Mental Side: Then you have the mental component (which many athletes say they benefit from the most), including being in better control of their:

• Breath

• Stress levels

So, my final verdict? I think Brown might be onto something - plus, it doesn’t hurt that the pictures look sick.

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🏆 Winner’s Circle

Oklahoma State just made an unprecedented addition to its helmets, and it could help the team earn millions of extra dollars this year.

Background: College football programs have recently been looking for new ways to generate extra revenue to pay their players.

Ideas have included:

• Corporate logos to the fields (est. +$1M/yr)

• Jersey patches (est. +$5M/yr)

However, the NCAA has banned both options and only allows them during bowl games. So, teams have had to get creative to make more money.

QR Codes: That’s why Oklahoma State is now officially the first team in football history to put a QR code on the back of their helmets.

Each code will feature the name and number of the player wearing it, but the money collected will be split between every player on the roster.

While these 1.5-square-inch decals won’t be easily visible from inside the stadium, the program expects fans to be able to scan them on their TVs and social media.

QR codes will also appear on:

• Each player’s bag tag

• In-stadium coasters

• Local signage

• Team equipment truck

Teams really are trying everything they can to make an extra buck…

⏱ In Other News

• The NFL’s Richest RB: The (Untold) History of Austin Ekeler

• Your annual reminder about the Paralympics TikTok account

• Call your rich friends, the NFL allows private equity now

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👋🏻 Happy Friday! I’m genuinely sorry for the double ads in today’s newsletter.

To give you a peek behind the curtain, advertisers can reach out to me via Beehiiv (this platform), and I get to choose the ad creative and posting date.

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