Getty Image / Timothy T Ludwig
Most NFL players have been clamoring for all fields to be on grass instead of turf. There is plenty of data that supports their reasoning, as statistics show grass is safer to play on.
However, teams with turf fields seem to be ignoring these requests. That is until some of these stadiums were awarded FIFA bids.
According to Jourdan Rodrigue, some NFL teams are willingly changing their turf fields to grass after earning the right to host FIFA games. FIFA asks for “incredibly rigorous multi-step safety testing” for turf fields. So, these teams are opting to change to grass instead.
11 NFL stadiums were awarded FIFA bids. To pitch a successful bid, that stadium must present a plan for its surface to meet FIFA’s incredibly rigorous multi-step safety testing, or switch totally to grass. Multiple turf stadiums for NFL have since committed to grass for FIFA. https://t.co/F4EzAYUHRI
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) January 11, 2023
So, it sounds like NFL teams are willing to change for soccer players, but not their football players. As you can imagine, former and current players around the league are upset about this situation.
11 NFL stadiums were awarded FIFA bids. To pitch a successful bid, that stadium must present a plan for its surface to meet FIFA’s incredibly rigorous multi-step safety testing, or switch totally to grass. Multiple turf stadiums for NFL have since committed to grass for FIFA. https://t.co/F4EzAYUHRI
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) January 11, 2023
Green Bay Packers star David Bakhtiari has been the most vocal on Twitter.
The fact that the owners blatantly do this in broad daylight, but act as if it’s no big deal is mind blowing. If it’s so simple to do for Futbol players, why not do it for Football players too!!!
— David Bakhtiari (@DavidBakhtiari) January 12, 2023
This really isn’t a great look for the league in general. Especially considering the team owners come off like they don’t value the players on their roster. Maybe this will lead to all fields being grass, but only time will tell.