Aaron Rodgers: Enigma

Aaron Rodgers is one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented American sports superstars of all time. Media and brainwashed people all around the country have created an agenda against him because of his personal choices. By diving deeper into Rodgers' interviews, his own podcasts, or balanced journalistic profiles, one can often gain a more nuanced understanding of his personality and choices. Misrepresentation often arises from a combination of personal complexity, cultural differences, and media dynamics, which this docu does fairly well. It succeeds in showcasing his complexities but stops short of delivering a fully balanced portrayal. For die-hard Rodgers fans, it's a must-watch. For others, it's an intriguing, albeit incomplete, exploration of a modern-day sports icon.

This docuseries is very well done and I really enjoyed watching it. Like many, I had myself convinced that Aaron Rodgers is a selfish attention-seeker. I can't say after watching "Enigma" I am completely certain that I was wrong, but I certainly see things a bit differently now. I loved hearing about some of these offbeat wellness retreats straight from Rodgers himself. It was also interesting to hear his perspective on the tumultuous COVID years. I will never agree with how he handled his vaccination, but I'm glad I at least understand how everything really happened now. Aaron Rodgers truly is an Enigma. This docuseries does him justice, for better or for worse.

As a long time fan of Tom Brady I have disliked A. R. for the last 10 years or so. I couldn't comprehend the admiration for a guy who just won 1 Super bowl, and the perception by pundits that he was better than Brady, who won 7. Today that discussion holds no more, but I recognize I couldn't fathom the guy, his decisions and stands on several hot topics. He came across as arrogant, aloof, I-know-all kind of person, and after watching the mini series he agrees to that perception, calling it "the observer", and comparing it to his "ego". The interesting consequence of my watching the documentary is that I realize than I am closer to him as a man than I am to Brady, so there must have been a Jungian bias in my judgment. Now I see AR as a complete man, someone that has much more value than meets the eye, someone that has made a conscient effort to go through a lot of pain and criticism to achieve a better understanding of himself, and therefore improve as a human being. The documentary finds the right balance between the player and the man, and does it in a very accurate way. Highly recommendable (except if you don't like the NFL)

Enigma is not the most objective documentary you will ever find (if you want more of that, read Ian O'Connor's "Out of the Darkness" tome). To a certain extent, it trades Aaron Rodgers' involvement for a little bit of narrative-shaping. But I was still enthralled by Enigma because it allows Rodgers to tell his story in his own words-not clickbait headlines-and he always gives a thoughtful accounting (whether you ascribe to the exact same beliefs being somewhat immaterial).

For a very basic overview, Enigma focuses on the "present" of Rodgers rehabbing from his 2023 Achilles tear as a member of the New York Jets. While seeing him navigate one of the quickest rehab processes for that injury in NFL history, doc directors Gotham Chopra & Liam Hughes flash back to relevant Rodgers' life moments-high school, college, NFL draft, Brett Favre relationship, Packers dominant QB ascendence-to allow him to tell his story. Supplementing Rodgers' own thoughts are interview snippets from the likes of Mike McCarthy, David Bakhtiari, Matt LaFleur, Davante Adams, Nathaniel Hackett, Brett Favre, Matt Flynn, and many others who have/had personal or professional relationships with Aaron.

If you only know Rodgers as "the guy who does psychedelics and sits in darkness", the first thing that will immediately "pop" in this doc is how physically talented at football Rodgers is and how much adversity he battled to get to where he is from a dominance perspective. He was smaller-than-average, he wasn't recruited by a major college, he had the most embarrassing draft day in NFL history, Favre basically shunned him, and he himself was shown the Green Bay exit a little before his time. But through all that, Rodgers developed an intense confidence/focus that allowed him to become one of the best NFL quarterbacks of all-time.

Of course, the more sensitive topics are discussed here as well: family foibles, darkness retreats, ayahuasca use, vaccine stances, and political involvements. Like anywhere else in life, I can't promise you'll like-or even respect, in some cases-Aaron's stance or inclusion within these topics. But at very least you will be hearing it "straight from the horse's mouth", and there is a lot of value to that. Regardless of what you think about Rodgers' life choices, his thought processes on those issues have clearly been given much thought and help him work through life issues as a quasi-celebrity. In a way that many athletes simply cannot, Rodgers brings a thoughtfulness, curiosity, and open-mindedness to his personal journeys.

I completely understand how and why Enigma could be a little "triggering" in the current age of extreme political/societal sensitivity. You likely won't agree with everything Rodgers has to say here. But hearing those thoughts straight from the source rather than twisted/utilized by clickbait sites or sports "talking heads" is refreshing and may soften the image of Rodgers you currently harbor in your mind. At very least, Enigma represents a chance for him to tell "his side of the story" in relatively unfiltered fashion.

Not much of an enigma here. A remarkably talented athlete explaining how he came to be a really strange man. The show is well done and worth watching if you're a football fan or a Bobby Kennedy Jr. Anti-vaccination whack job. Rodgers is a great quarterback and he did indeed overcome a lot of obstacles to become the NFL Hall of Fame player he will be in the not too distant future. At the same time, he is very odd. He doesn't appear to have many friends outside of his rehab team, drug cult pals and kindred spirit RFK Jr. Still, his story is interesting and a constant reminder that you really never know what's going on in another person's head.