Clark Hunt is set to move the Kansas City Chiefs from their current home in Kansas City, Missouri, to Kansas after their lease at Arrowhead Stadium expires in 2031. The relocation promises “monumental” benefits like massive economic growth and modern facilities. But it also comes with some hidden risks that echo troubling patterns as seen with the San Francisco 49ers.

In December, the Chiefs announced they will build a new dome-shaped stadium in Wyandotte County and a state-of-the-art training facility plus team headquarters in Olathe, Johnson County. Now, the biggest concern at present for the team is that the practice facility sits very close to an Evergy electrical substation, right near the Garmin Olathe Soccer Complex. This setup feels eerily familiar, much like what the Niners have dealt with for years at their own site.

Their beloved Levi’s Stadium, where the Niners fans scream their hearts and souls out at every game, sits in a spot where an electrical substation looms right nearby. That proximity has revived a deep-rooted conspiracy theory in Santa Clara: “the curse of Levi’s Stadium.”

The 49ers have been absolutely riddled with injuries in recent seasons. They boast extraordinary players on their roster, like Nick Bosa (torn ACL), Brock Purdy (toe turf variant), Brandon Aiyuk (knee), and George Kittle (hamstring, ankle). Still, none of them stayed healthy enough to play the entire season. This rash of problems pushed Board-certified clinician Peter Cowan to investigate the issue himself.

“On December 1, 2025, I walked to the northeast corner of the 49ers’ Marie P. DeBartolo Sports Center practice fields in Santa Clara and turned on my gaussmeter. At 11:00 a.m. on a quiet Monday (far from peak load), it read 8.5+ milligauss (to put that in perspective, the average background level in a typical American home or office is usually between 0.5 and 3.0 mG),” Cowan wrote on January 6.

Cowan also added that he wasn’t able to test inside the practice facility, but it might be “several times higher: potentially 13–21 mG on a normal day.” Those numbers are concerning, especially when you consider how players spend hours there day after day.

The point of all this chatter is clear: sure, there aren’t any instant effects from those electromagnetic emissions, but the long-term effects are impossible to predict right now.

They lie dormant and emerge later, potentially causing injuries through subtle damage to soft tissues over time. According to Cowan, it all boils down to collagen, the key protein that keeps our bodies hydrated. According to Cowan, sustained electromagnetic fields may affect collagen, the protein responsible for maintaining tissue elasticity and hydration, potentially increasing vulnerability to soft-tissue injuries over time. He likened the effect to slowly dehydrating tissue at a molecular level rather than causing direct trauma.

“You’re basically getting dehydrated. So, if you ever put a steak or something with a lot of moisture in the microwave, you warm it up, but it gets kind of hard and dry. It’s a similar effect. Our bodies are like 60 to 70% water by weight, but by molecular count, it’s 99 or more percent. And collagen specifically is 99.6% water by molecular count, and the water is an essential part of the structure of the collagen,” Cowan explained in an exclusive interview with NFL Senior Editor Tim Wood of EssentiallySports.

This theory isn’t just some wild fan fiction, or as Cowan puts it, he did not “imply any conspiracy whatsoever.” It has long lived inside the walls of the Niners’ locker room.

Levi’s Stadium curse gains traction: Players support it as John Lynch probes to investigate “everything”

The players around the league have already shown their support for the theory. They have voiced frustrations that have lingered in San Francisco for years.

“Players have joked around about there being an electrical substation that’s right next to the practice field and how that has led to the Niners’ injury problems,” 49ers guard Jon Feliciano said in 2025.

Feliciano now follows Cowan on social media, joined by former linebacker Will Compton, who backed Cowan’s theory and reposted his article on X, adding, “This needs to have 1 billion views.”

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Even 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne gave Cowan a public shoutout during a press conference, claiming, Yeah, it’s that power plant,” when he was asked about the team’s troubles while trying to stay healthy. Cowan backs his research with solid scientific evidence, drawing from his experience dealing with “clients who suffered from a condition called MCAS.”

Additional reports have since indicated that concern inside the locker room extends beyond jokes. According to analyst Chase Senior, Christian McCaffrey has discussed the substation with trainers and voiced unease about long-term electromagnetic exposure, while former teammate Logan Ryan has said he believes the theory carries merit. Senior also noted that former 49ers tight end Delanie Walker recalled the substation being discussed internally as early as the late 2000s, long before it entered the public spotlight.

However, the theory has been debunked by outlets like Front Office Sports and The Washington Post.

A radiology professor at the University of California told Front Office Sports that “there is no firmly established evidence” to support it. The Washington Post noted Frank de Vocht, a professor of epidemiology and public health at Bristol Medical School in England, tagged the theory as “nonsense.”

Still, General Manager John Lynch is leaving no stone unturned to move past these injury-riddled days. He has kicked off an official investigation into the matter, signaling the front office takes player health seriously.

“Because it deals with allegedly the health and safety of our players, I think you have to look into everything,” Lynch said. “The health and safety of our players is of the utmost priority. We pore into it. Our ownership, Jed [York] is tremendous in terms of resources, and we’ll always be cognizant of things. I know that a lot of games have been won at this facility since it opened, but yeah, we aren’t going to turn a blind eye.”

Lynch stressed that the 49ers will look into “everything.” It’s a classic case of better late than never, or as the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. But it’s funny how a rough stretch can make fan theories and conspiracies suddenly feel all too plausible. Especially now that the Chiefs might face a similar shadow over their shiny new digs.