Less than five minutes into the 2023 season that was going to change everything for the Jets, their fans were forced to hold their collective breath as Aaron Rodgers sat himself on the turf in disbelief. On just their fourth play from scrimmage, the newly acquired quarterback tore his left Achilles tendon as Bills defender Leonard Floyd took him down for a sack.
Season over. Done for the year.
The devastating turn of events not only put the kibosh on what was expected to be a turnaround season for a Jets team that desperately needed one, but also placed the league’s grass vs. turf debate to the forefront. Days after Rodgers’s injury, the NFLPA released a statement that called on the league to mandate the installation of grass surfaces in all NFL stadiums.
“[It’s] the easiest decision the NFL can make,” then executive director Lloyd Howell said. “The players overwhelmingly prefer it and the data is clear that grass is simply safer than artificial turf. It is an issue that has been near the top of the players’ list during my team visits and one I have raised with the NFL.”
Nearly three years later, however, little has changed. Fourteen of the league’s 30 stadiums are equipped with artificial playing surfaces—including East Rutherford, N.J.’s MetLife Stadium, the site of Rodgers’s fateful injury and one that has long been criticized by players for the staggering number of serious injuries suffered there.
MetLife—err, New York/New Jersey Stadium—will also play host to the 2026 World Cup final next month. And thanks to FIFA’s strict requirements, will do so with natural grass installed.
Of the 16 stadiums across North America tasked with hosting World Cup matches this summer—and in turn have installed grass surfaces that meet FIFA’s standards—11 are NFL venues. Of those 11, seven normally use artificial turf. SI’s Dan Gartland went in-depth on the overhaul at the Falcons’ Mercedes-Benz Stadium here.
These temporary changes raise an obvious question: If the NFL (and in particular, the team owners who are in charge of these stadiums) is willing to bend the knee to FIFA’s requirements, why won’t it do so for its own players?
The short answer? Money.
The long answer? Also money.
The NFLPA recently polled its players and concluded that 92%(!) of them would prefer playing on natural grass fields. This is likely due to both the injury risk that artificial surfaces impose and the added wear and tear it brings to players’ bodies.
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