Fun fact: When Greta Thunberg said “How dare you!” she was talking about using fake grass in NFL stadiums.
Posted on 05/13/2026 3:57:40 PM PDT by nickcarraway
NFLPA head: Players strongly want 'high quality' grass fields play
Jordan Raanan May 12, 2026, 12:00 PM ET Share LikeLike Open Extended Reactions LikeCelebrateFire 558 While NFL players watch some of their stadiums get new grass fields installed for upcoming FIFA World Cup games, it only reinforces their desire to move away from turf.
Fifteen of the 30 NFL stadiums use some sort of artificial turf for American football games. Players have become more vocal in recent years about their desire to play on grass.
"What we want is good grass fields. Good, solid fields," NFLPA executive director JC Tretter said recently on the "Not Just Football" podcast hosted by Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward. "You don't just want to pull out the [municipal] golf course grass. On every field, you want high-quality surfaces. I think one thing is understanding what our players care about. And there is something there that the data hasn't been able to spit back out at us. Which if you ask every player that we polled, 1,700 players, 92% say they want grass over turf.
"There is something about the feeling of being on grass, the body feels different. I think if you ask the coaches, just standing on grass vs. standing on turf for three hours feels different. There is something there that impacts the body."
Tretter said the talking point is that the injury rates on turf vs. grass have become marginal. But he added that if you look deeper into the numbers, turf injuries have held relatively steady. Grass injury rates have gotten worse.
So it's not just the idea of NFL stadiums having grass instead of turf. Tretter said he wants quality grass fields that reach certain unspecified standards.
"I think it's important for us to have metrics to enforce them, making sure the stadiums are being used predominantly for football games, especially when having concerts and monster truck rallies, those are all things owners make money off. The players don't make money off it," he said. "The idea that, hey, we're going to host these events that means we have to put a worse surface on there for you and you don't actually get any of that money for those events we're hosting isn't a great thing for the players either. And that is what we have to evaluate for the next deal."
The current CBA runs through 2030.
The NFL and NFLPA agreed late last year to a new model for selecting playing surfaces in stadiums, one that will require teams to choose from an approved set of metrics and styles for both natural and synthetic fields. The policy will apply to any teams that plan to replace their surfaces for the 2026 season. By the 2028 season, all stadiums will be required to have approved fields.
FIFA uses only grass fields for the World Cup. MetLife Stadium, AT&T Field, Gillette Stadium, Lumen Field, NRG Stadium, SoFi Stadium and Mercedes-Benz Stadium all use some sort of artificial turf for NFL games but will have natural grass for the matches this summer.
The installation process began in recent weeks, with the tournament expected to commence on June 11. The United States opens June 12 against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers.
"You look at FIFA, they're rolling out the green carpet for soccer players. And that has become the norm," Tretter said. "Over in European leagues, that is what you do. You play on grass. They have surface standards that each thing is rolled out. It's exactly how it's supposed to be. And those players will not play if it's not that."
Roger Goodell, the dastardly NFL commissioner was part of the program to lure the coming World Cup to the U.S. He allowed NFL stadiums to be used for the World Cup and promised REAL GRASS for all World Cup games.
So, he wants better conditions for soccer players, than his own league's players. (And soccer isn't supposed to have tackling like gridiron football does.)
I thought random drug tests covered that issue.
LED lighting makes it possible to convert indoor stadiums into giant grow operations.
LOL! You win. thanks for the laugh.
Every single thing in the world today can be traced directly to fake grass in the NFL.
EVERY SINGLE THING.
Been saying for years the artificial turfs are causing many more injuries.
I meant every single BAD thing.
It’s not exactly news - everyone knows it.
Most head injuries are caused by turf, too.
All those concussions leading to permanent damage.
Well i’m working on kentucky blue grass here at the homestead. They can play all they want. It’s mostly uphill however.
Fun fact: When Greta Thunberg said “How dare you!” she was talking about using fake grass in NFL stadiums.
Grass will become rare because the NFL is replacing their stadiums and all the owners want a dome.
Truth is they offered grass fields over 29 years ago but players decided if any of that cost was coming out of their billions, no thank you.
So hitting your head on the frozen tundra in Green Bay hurts less than hitting your head on green plastic carpet, filled with granulated rubber, and cushioned underneath by more rubber?
I agree turf causes knee and ankle injuries, but it’s hard to blame it for CTE stuff.
That tundra is not frozen all season, though it’s at least as hard.
And many fields never even see frost.
NFL == 42 ?
Touché!
When they had grass fields they complained about injuries... Now they have ‘high’ quality artificial fields... And once again... They complain about injuries... And now they want high quality grass fields.
The NFL is an injury prone sport... 300 pound men smashing together typically results in injuries. Playing an extended season results in even more injuries... Shorten the schedule back to 16 games and injuries will go down... Make it 14 games and you’ll have even fewer injuries... No games at all... No injuries.
People who watch, play and own NFL teams need to figure it out... There are going to be injuries no matter what the heck you do.
If you want no injuries... Watch bowling or table tennis... If you want a gladiator like sport where people get hurt... Watch NFL football.
And not for nothing, how do you feel the next morning when you've repeatedly hit the ground on concrete vs. grass and soil?
Also, why do soccer players need it, but not football players?
The new turf fields are not your dad’s astroturf, which was indoor/outdoor carpet laid on top of concrete.
New turf fields start with a base layer of 6-9 inches of sand, then the turf is placed on this. The “blades of grass” are 6 inches long and this depth is filled with tiny rubber pellets to a leave a finish height of turf grass approximately 1.5 inches.
TWhat they look for in super slo-motion replays when a player toe drags is those little black pellets coming off the turf.
It also costs more than a grass turf field.
If the players had grass fields they would complain that the field is sloppy in late season games since the grass stops growing in late fall. Also it would be like paying on a block of ice in the northern stadiums in December and January.
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