Football people like to let you know they’re tough. Their fearlessness in the face of danger is one of the things that makes them good at what they do, but also can cause problems off of the field.
Take, for example, Monday’s solar eclipse, a once in a generation experience but one that also requires some caution. Scientists and doctors warn everyone not to stare directly into the eclipse, unless you have special glasses. That’s because, despite it being darker, the UV rays still exist and can do serious damage to your eyes.
Football people aren’t always the keenest on what scientists or doctors say — see: every concussion study for the past two decades — so it should come as no surprise that on Monday, some in the football world scoffed at the necessity of glasses for looking at the eclipse. First, Boston College coach Steve Addazio said he was going to stare directly at the sun without glasses because dogs and horses don’t have glasses and they won’t all go blind — which is incredible logic.
Giants star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. one-upped Addazio by videoing himself staring at the sun (like Donald Trump did) while the eclipse took place.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYERYNHj2su/
Alright, so New York wasn’t in the direct, total eclipse line, so he probably wasn’t in as much danger here, but this seems like a poor decision, even if there’s not an eclipse happening. There’s never a good reason to stare at the sun, even if it’s to prove a point that your eyes are tough enough to not disintegrate by staring at the sun. I’d also like to thank Beckham for directly answering the question I posed on Monday afternoon.
what athlete is the most likely to look directly at the sun during the eclipse
— Robby Kalland (@RKalland) August 21, 2017
Watch Beckham tear up this season and people will point to him gathering powers from the eclipse as the reason. You’ve gotta love guys being dudes and staring at the sun to prove those nerds wrong.
