Blog #373: How the 2023 Chicago Bears Serve as an Example to the Neurodiversity Community for When T
- Jeffrey Snyder
- Sep 26, 2023
- 3 min read
Nov 13, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields (1) passes the ball in the third quarter against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
Now, before I begin this blog, I am not in any way trying to make a mockery of the NFL’s Chicago Bears. However, their recent struggles of late do bring to mind something that the neurodiversity community can relate to and that is what happens when things stack up to the point where we end up having a full blown meltdown.
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Let’s start at the beginning with Bears quarterback Justin Fields, only in his 3rd year as the starting quarterback. As he probably knows by now, when you are in a starring role in anything, such as an NFL team, you are bound to be bombarded by dozens of critics. Recently, Fields has been accused in the media of being robotic in his plays. Now, this would often be classified a full blown insult and needless to say that Fields responded in a way that caused him to hold another conference in the locker room to double take on his actions.
Like any decent human being, Justin Fields can make social mistakes or say things that he shouldn’t have said. When it comes to neurodiverse individuals, we have a very strong tendency to say things we shouldn’t say. It’s just in our nature and if we were in Justin Fields’ shoes, we would feel the same way. In fact, I myself can relate to the words spoken against him as I have been criticized on my fanfictions for making my characters seem robotic and wooden. However, it’s important to again annoy the trolls and the unnecessary critics and just move on with what you are good at.
I mean, not everyone has a desire to be Rosey the Robot from “The Jetsons.”
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Next, a few days ago, the Bears’ stadium, Soldier Field, was broken into and over $100,000 worth of equipment was stolen. How these thieves were able to break into the stadium is one thing, but something such as this will often result in a significant hit to our mental health. Let’s take this break in and put it in the perspective of a neurodivergent mind. As I have learned from experience, we have a strong tendency to maintain our personal boundaries and don’t take it too kindly to those who would otherwise cross those boundaries.
Sadly though, we can only come to the conclusion that no matter how hard we try, someone will find a way to cross into our boundaries and it’s how we learn from the experience that matters.
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Finally, the Bears Defensive Coordinator, Alan Williams, shockingly resigned this past week for “personal reasons.” Right away, some people will say that there is no face value to the decision that he had made. At the time of this blog, there are rumors going around that his home had been raided by the FBI. The last thing anyone wants is to just have the prospect of a load of rumors dumped on their shoulders as our brains can only take so much in such a short amount of time.
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Now, you might be wondering why I bring all this up? What do the Chicago Bears have to do with this blog to begin with? Well, the lesson here is that things were stacking up for them in recent days and weeks. It’s a big weakness for anyone, but especially for neurodivergent individuals and those around them.
The big lesson to come from this event would be to try and reduce the stacking as much as possible. The less that stacks up, the better. If there is too much stacking, then you need to step back and take a look at what works and what doesn’t. Sometimes, the less loads we have, the better.
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Catch you all later!!
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