When Chicago Bears star receiver Luther Burden III suffered a concussion last Sunday night, the team's fans did the usual cursory investigation into what happened, as football fans do whenever a major athlete is injured. And because the word "burden" was used, they came across an X user from Australia who was going through a tough time in the process.
What happened next will remind you of the beautiful power of community that can still be inherent to some corners of the internet.
When X user "Yuri" (a.k.a. @treatmachanwell) posted about feeling like a "burden," it caught the attention of Bears fans seeking information about the receiver's condition. They quickly pivoted to showering them with messages of love and encouragement in a wonderful display
of humanity. Yuri would clarify that they had never even heard of the Bears before the team's fans jumped into their mentions with collective support.
This outpouring of love from fans caught the Bears' organization's attention a few days later, with the social team reaching out to "Yuri" about sending them a care package. Man, how special is that?
HOW DID I GET THIS FAR https://t.co/naToKajBox pic.twitter.com/2dhhekcySE
— ⋆˚࿔ 𝕐𝕦𝕣𝕚 ♪˚⋆ (@treatmachanwell) November 11, 2026
What started as a basic investigation into an injury update turned into folks making a wholesome connection with a random person they had never met. For any of the problems it has today, this whole situation is a good reminder of what the internet can still do for us and how it can make us feel less alone.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why Chicago Bears fans are using the bye week to support an Australian student
