Was the football concept random… or intended?
Let’s start with what we know.
1. In the LMR mvs there were two coinciding concepts: a “football” one and an “Alice in Wonderland” one. [click here for my “exo in wonderland” theory] I’ve already connected the Alice in Wonderland concept, which was kind of obvious, but I still haven’t seen any explanations for the football concept. Out of all sports… why football?
2. LMR is a re-packaged of the EXODUS album (or era in this instance).
3. In the EXODUS era the teasers were called “pathcodes.”
4. If you break down “pathcode” you get “path” and “code.”
“Path” could refer to the greek root word (pathos) for “feeling” or “disease.” For example, sympathy (relates to feelings), pathology (the science of the causes and effects of diseases… usually a branch of medicine // which we see Dr. Minseok make in Wonderland), pathogen (infectious agent that causes disease in a host), etc.
“Code”: “A system of words, letters, figures, or other symbols substituted for other words, letters, etc., especially for the purposes of secrecy.”
5. Now for the Exodus era teasers (for Call Me Baby), “pathcodes” were simply used for figuring out the path to the next teaser through hidden codes. However for the LMR era, I think “pathcode” connects more to #4, with the feelings/diseases. The feelings and code part were used for the Alice and Wonderland concept. Now, I believe the “disease” part comes in with the football concept, and I think the disease is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). I’ve actually been thinking the football concept connected to CTE ever since the topic was covered in my Spring Quarter Brain Dysfunction’s class (but I was too lazy to think about the football theory and did the Alice in Wonderland one while it was still fresh in my head).
“Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes (and others) with a history of repetitive brain trauma, including symptomatic concussions as well as asymptomatic subconcussive hits to the head. CTE has been known to affect boxers since the 1920s. However, recent reports have been published of neuropathologically confirmed CTE in retired professional football players and other athletes who have a history of repetitive brain trauma. This trauma triggers progressive degeneration of the brain tissue, including the build-up of an abnormal protein called tau. These changes in the brain can begin months, years, or even decades after the last brain trauma or end of active athletic involvement. The brain degeneration is associated with memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and, eventually, progressive dementia.” (source)
I bolded all of the important parts for you guys. Anyways, I connected this disease to LMR once I heard the professor say football (lol). CTE is also not only common for football players but rugby players, boxers, hockey players, etc. too because of the repetitive brain damage. However, whoever came up with choosing the concepts/the sport most likely picked football because it would fit the exo members more than rugby, boxing, and hockey. (imagine if they had to wear the other costumes… lol)
Although, I don’t think that LMR is using CTE as a concept literally. I feel like they are using CTE, but twisting it in a clever way.
- The brain trauma does not have to be caused physically. It seems as if they twisted it to be caused mentally (as everything in the mvs are taking place mentally).
- “The trauma triggers progressive degeneration of the brain tissue, including the build-up of an abnormal protein called tau.” TAU?? TAUUU?? Well, Tao’s hiatus in exo/not being in this era aka possibly losing another member seems to be hinted in the LMR mvs for the reason why everyone’s feeling all negative, etc. So if we think of them as football players instead of idols, the changes in the brain are said to begin whenever even at the “end of active athletic involvement.” Except the changes are not at the end of the member’s active athletic involvement, but Tao’s.
- “The brain degeneration is associated with memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and, eventually, progressive dementia.” This is what the members go through in Wonderland. Well, not all of it but some of the symptoms. For instance, how Jongin as the Queen of Hearts has impulse control problems and aggression. Sehun as the Cheshire cat has some impaired judgment like lying on train tracks (very dangerous!!), Kyungsoo as Alice seems to have depression in those scenes where he doesn’t know what to do, etc. They’re all basically hallucinating/ wonderland is a dream (which connects to the progressive dementia part), which it all connects back to their minds.
In conclusion, I don’t really believe that the football concept was all too “random.” There should be a reason behind it and this is what I could come up with. I feel like whoever is coming up with the exo concepts is actually putting in some thought and connecting everything somehow… it’s just not in plain sight.
tbh what this all sums up is that SM likes to throw shade lol