Sep 11, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) is injured after a sack by Buffalo Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd (not pictured) during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
MeLife Stadium, where Rodgers suffered his Achilles tendon injury while playing for the Giants and Jets, is among the roughly half of NFL venues that choose artificial turf over natural grass.
Though there are other motivations, financial gain is the most sensible. These large NFL stadiums can accommodate concerts and other events because artificial turf is simple to set up. This is more challenging with traditional grass fields, but it is still possible.
Dak Prescott, the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, stated he is a “100-percent grass guy” and hinted that playing on the AT&T Stadium turf may have contributed to his season-ending fractured ankle in Week 5 of the 2020 season. He also advocated for the notion of standardizing natural grass throughout the league in
“Yeah, I’m 100-percent a grass guy,” Dak said. “My injury plays a huge part in that. … I know how physical the game is, how guys are getting tackled. It’s a whole lot safer, in my opinion, on grass than it is turf.””
According to an NBC News report from 2023, seven out of the ten stadiums with the highest average number of injuries have synthetic turf installed rather than real grass.
Prescott was careful to emphasize how easy a fix this could be, given that the owner of his team is among the richest individuals in the world, the NFL brings in billions of dollars year, and all of that money goes directly to the Dallas Cowboys.
“This is a billion-dollar business and you want the best product on the field every time. So take the weather, take all that stuff out of it and let’s see who is better.”
There are two full-sized fields at the Cowboys’ practice facility at The Star. One has synthetic grass, the other artificial turf. When asked about the discussion, Dallas coach Mike McCarthy made a hint about that.
“We practice on the grass every single day,” McCarthy said, with plenty of clarity.
The Dallas Cowboys’ decision to play their upcoming soccer match on grass has outraged NFL players.
Cowboys Wide Receiver CeeeDee Lamb not only endorsed grass fields, but he also implied that Jerry Jones, his owner, ought to be the one to start the transition.
“That’s it. Grass,” Lamb said, “(but) I can’t tell Jerry nothing. We need grass, it’s that simple. … That grass feels better on us.
The stadium usually has a turf surface, but because CONCACAF games must take place on grass, it switched to grass for this weekend’s games.
Although NFL offensive tackle David Bakhtiari thinks it’s a good thing for soccer players, he’s not thrilled about it. Why each stadium in the NFL can’t have a full grass surface baffles him. He’s obviously not alone, either.
“But not for NFL players,” he tweeted.
Several NFL players, like Bakhtiari, would rather play on grass than turf. Compared to grass, players on turf grounds feel far worse after training and games.
Josh Allen, the quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, is a huge fan of grass fields.
“We’ve been pushing for this a long time as players. The way our bodies feel after turf games, or after turf practices, is significantly different than on grass,” Allen said last September.
Currently, natural grass fields are found in 15 NFL stadiums, while various forms of turf are found in the remaining 15. Every stadium has the option to convert to grass if it so chooses, but there is still no end in sight to this argument.
Due of his stale attitude to free agency, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is currently unpopular with his support base. Players throughout the league have evidently taken offense at this choice.