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Not long ago, postgrads could only dream of working in an office that bumps Spotify on shuffle, has a 36-inch plasma TV rolling nonstop SportsCenter , and offers a MacBook to each employee. In 2015, I get to live that dream, and I love it. Hell, there’s even a ping pong table and an arcade-sized Golden Tee in the break room that includes complimentary Gatorades and snack food.
But my entry level job’s setup does not come close to stacking up to what the San Francisco 49ers have to offer. According to the Wall Street Journal, all 49er team meetings now include 10-minute breaks to attend to millennials’ presumed short attention spans, so players can get their smartphone fix in.
Per the Wall Street Journal:
The coaches say that they have learned more about technology from players than they thought possible. The biggest advancement, defensive-line coach Scott Brown said, is that the younger players have been raised in an NFL where practice tape can be downloaded to tablets before meetings, meaning every piece of information is available to them at all times. That is compounded, Tomsula said, by new playbooks with video clips of plays attached to the drawing of the play—a benefit to visual learners and those in tune with tablets and smartphones.
I bet at least half of these guys are either tossing out zingers to their group texts, or playing Clash of Clans during these meetings. The biggest change, according to special teams coach Thomas McGaughey Jr., is implementing new teaching styles. “You have to be quick and get to the point,” he said. McGaughey also said that long, uninterrupted meetings had become “counterproductive.” Translation: Don’t take the scenic route.
While the older 49ers staff is not too fond of the policy, this move makes sense coming from Silicon Valley’s most storied professional sports franchise. New head coach Jim Tomsula admits the logic behind it makes sense, saying, “The [experts] are telling me about attention spans and optimal learning.”
This new-age adjustment can only mean good things for the Niners. Since competing in three straight NFC Championship games, and losing to the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, the team has controversially relocated roughly 40 miles from San Francisco proper, failed to make the playoffs altogether, dumped head coach Jim Harbaugh off to the college ranks, and had five key players mysteriously retire at premature ages. It’s hard not to look at this in a positive light if you’re a 49ers fan.
Come September, we’ll see if this extra time for Twitter will keep the Niners above water in the daunting NFC West..
[via Wall Street Journal]
Image via Mike Brake / Shutterstock.com
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Squints
An enthusiastic kid at heart, I'm passionate about properly taking care of my hairline, having an inappropriate amount of DVR series recordings, and pretending to be a beer snob. Still on my quest to find my irresistible lifeguard dream girl who can rock the one-piece bathing suit. Hit me up on MySpace.
I could smell this was you from 1,000 miles away, Squints.