The Los Angeles Rams Are Trying to Defeat Time
Welcome to the Super Bowl of jet lag.
The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers are set to play each other in an NFL game for the first time in Australia. This marks the most high-profile test of jet-lag-evasion techniques in American sports history. The 49ers arrived nine days ahead of the game, allowing them ample time to adjust to the time difference and train in Australia.
They spent their days watching Aussie rules football and winning the majority of local support. In contrast, the Rams landed just 24 hours before the game and are betting on being there briefly enough that players' brains and bodies won't notice the difference. This makes the game a test of jet-lag avoidance techniques in American sports.
Jet lag can cause performance issues for professional football players, such as cognitive impairment, headaches, and mood changes. Studies have shown that West Coast teams tend to perform better than expected in games played in the evening due to jet lag. The Rams are trying to align their body clock with the game time by practicing in the late afternoon, while the 49ers have spent a week in Australia to fully recover from jet lag.
However, the Rams' strategy may be risky, as a week might not be enough time for players to fully adjust. Sleep is becoming a major focus for NFL teams, with many implementing measures to mitigate the effects of jet lag.
Written by urgent.news from The Atlantic's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
