NFL training camp is a ‘Game of Thrones’ spoilers minefield

NFL players who are behind on TV shows, such as Game of Thrones, must go to great lengths to avoid spoilers.

If you're a fan of television, at some point in your life you've dealt with the indignity of not being fully caught up on today's hottest shows.  

For NFL players, keeping up with their favorite dramas can be especially difficult, with extensive training and shorter and shorter offseasons getting in the way. This has made training camp grueling for a whole new reason—avoiding spoilers for shows such as Game of Thrones. 

The Wall Street Journal detailed this epic struggle across multiple NFL camps, and some players are less sympathetic to those not caught up than others.

“If you don’t know that Jon Snow died, if you don’t know what the White Walkers are, that’s not my problem,” Washington tight end Niles Paul said, referencing some major plot points from last season's Thrones. “It means you aren’t a fan and you don’t watch the show.”

And Paul means business. According to the story, running back Silas Redd watched four or five episodes of Thrones in one night of camp because he was so scared of spoilers. 

Players at Pittsburgh Steelers camp have reportedly been more understanding. Linebacker Vince Williams requested teammates keep show conversations away from him, and so far they've complied. The team also plans to binge-watch a new show together. 

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Of course, for those of us who do know what happened in Game of Thrones, we're not so different than many of the players in Washington. 

“When Jon Snow died, we were hurt, very hurt,” Paul told the Journal about the season five finale. “But I’ve been following the theories on the Internet, so they’ve got to bring him back.”

[WSJ]

- Rohan Nadkarni