NFL Stars Push League to Ditch Turf After World Cup
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- George Kittle attended the World Cup final and renewed his public call for the NFL to ditch artificial turf, saying stadiums should install grass if owners "really gave a s---" and estimating roughly 90% of players would prefer natural surfaces.
- The NFLPA has pushed for universal natural grass for three years, with first-year executive director JC Tretter making the issue a priority upon taking the role and launching the #WorthTheCost campaign over the World Cup's final weekend.
- NFL injury data from 2012-18 showed a 28% higher rate of non-contact lower-extremity injuries on turf versus grass, including 32% more knee injuries and 69% more foot and ankle injuries, numbers Tretter cited in a 2020 article.
- MetLife Stadium required weeks of conversion work, 20 truckloads of Tahoma 31 bermudagrass grown for 10 months at a North Carolina farm, two feet of sand, a new irrigation system, and vacuum ventilation to meet FIFA standards.
- Stars including Caleb Williams, Jonathan Taylor, Laremy Tunsil, Devin Lloyd, and Tucker Kraft posted #WorthTheCost messages on social media during the World Cup's closing weekend, echoing Kittle's argument.
- Exactly half of the NFL's 32 stadiums still use artificial turf, yet indoor venues like AT&T Stadium (nine matches) and SoFi Stadium (eight) kept grass in pristine condition throughout the tournament without playability issues.
- MetLife Stadium has become an injury flashpoint, with Malik Nabers, Aaron Rodgers, Sterling Shepard, Wan'Dale Robinson, Kyle Fuller, and Nick Bosa all suffering torn ACLs or Achilles tears on its surface over the past six years.
Why it matters: The NFLPA is converting the World Cup's visible grass success into leverage against owners, framing surface conversion — which Kittle pegged at "a couple extra million dollars" per field — as a player-safety imperative rather than a luxury upgrade, with half the league's stadiums and the league's collective bargaining still in play.
