Blog2

I have to focus on Roland Barthes, Mythologies here and in particular the excerpt on Einstein in his Mythologies. The part that stood out to me was about how we thought back in those days and how we approached anomalies that we encountered. Barthes writes about a famous picture of Einstein connected with wires to a series of seismographs. Where Einsteins legend comes to fruition from this photograph is how the people conducting the test are asking him to think of relativity. Barthes explains that the researches had hopes that thinking of such a complex idea would make the seismographs needles move violently. This was Einsteins myth. I can only imagine they thought his brain was bigger and heavier too. As myths go, the belief Einstein had this extraordinary brain that was super human couldn't be like everyone else, but infarct his brain was quite ordinary.

As myths is really a series a information that is widely accepted but typically isn't true. In this case, Einstein's brain was believed to be a robot's brain. A brain beyond human comprehension, so naturally it shouldn't function like a normal brain. I think this is why I like myths. They're inspiring regardless of truth. Who wouldn't want a brain that is like Einstein's myth. Just this story alone could move someone to do whatever they can to gather knowledge. And with this line of thinking, the outcomes of what we're capable of start to razzle the mind. Now this isn't to the level of myth as Einstein's brain, as that almost touch a little bit into the make believe, but there are some myths that seem like obtainable goals or even challenges for others to strive for. For NFL prospects, coming out of college normally means you're headed to the NFL combine to get evaluated.

Since the combines inception, the 40 yard dash has been the top performance evaluation for the event. The magical number for the longest time has been a 4.4sec 40yd. The athletes of the 70's and 80's knew that the 4.4 was the determining speed factor for excellence. A funny thing happened during the early 80's, athletes started breaking the 4.4 time. Scouts didn't think it could happen. So as time went on, a myth started to manifest, “No one will ever break 4.3sec” for the 40. Well, rumblings of individuals started to make waves in the scouting communities of privately recorded 40 times by individuals destroying that 4.3 mark.

Bo Jackson is said to have run a 4.18 and Deion Sanders recorded a 4.27. None were official run times but a funny thing happened, athletes began focusing more on this event. Suddenly the myth of the 40 yard dash wasn't just an unobtainable time, it was a goal. So what was once seen as not true as the definition of a myth goes, now it was a goal that was set. Today, there are currently 15 sub 4.3 run times officially recorded—and a new myth. Breaking 4.2 is the new legend and the way things are trending, that myth will be debunked and a new one will take its place. So, as I said a myth is more like motivation and inspiration. Regardless if it's based off of fictitious facts and hearsay, I don't think they're bad in anyway (I hope that wasn't implied). I think they're told and re-told for the sole purpose to inspire. With Einstein, they said he had the greatest mind the world has ever seen, today we have 100 Einsteins. Like the athlete's being told, “You'll never break a 4.3 40” now the talks are about how 4.2 will never happen. These myth's only seem to be set goals to achieve. Something fun to debate and so forth. Really, they're reason to keep moving forward.

https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/sports/2017/02/28/top-10-fastest-40-yard-dash-times-at-the-nfl-scouting-combine/98429534/