With the World Cup taking place in North America this year, the debate about grass field vs. turf is a hot topic again. Many NFL stadiums use artificial turf but had to install temporary grass for the World Cup.
One of the few stadiums in the NFL that still uses real grass is Allegiant Stadium, where the Las Vegas Raiders play. It’s pricey to maintain grass for an NFL field, but owner Mark Davis has remained committed to giving his players what he wants, despite the harsh Las Vegas climate making it very difficult to maintain grass.
That’s not something that many other NFL owners want to deal with. That’s not going to stop Davis from staying committed to grass. He reaffirmed his stance on grass vs. turf.
“I just always felt that football should be played on grass,” Davis told A.J. Perez of The L.A. Times. “That’s for safety purposes, No. 1. I want it to look like a game was played even if it’s an indoor field. You see grass stains and everything else. I wasn’t going to a stadium without it being grass once I knew that capability was there. Obviously, it added a lot of cost, but it’s worth it.”
Davis’ Commitment to Grass Could Frustrate Owners
Unless there is irrefutable evidence that grass is safer for players than turf, owners are going to do what they can to pinch pennies. Davis’ stance that grass is important for “safety purposes” isn’t going to be a talking point that thrills NFL owners.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio believes the league is going to do its best to keep Davis’ mouth shut about the topic in the future.
“Raiders owner Mark Davis is committed to grass, for safety purposes. (Which means that the league will be telling him to please pipe down in the next CBA negotiations),” Florio wrote on X.
Players Want Grass
If it were up to the players, the grass vs. field debate wouldn’t be much of a debate at all. San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle spoke on behalf of the NFLPA on the topic.
“We’ve made it clear that we prefer grass fields,” Kittle said in a statement issued by the NFLPA. “We know it’s better on our bodies, and clearly, we know it’s possible based on everything that went into putting down grass fields for the World Cup at each stadium.”
The NFL isn’t committing to any sweeping changes, but is trying to listen to the complaints of players.
“I find a lot of confidence in the fact that the NFL and the NFL Players Assn. have a tremendous working group and we’re working toward improved surfaces,” NFL Field Director Nick Pappas told The L.A. Times. “Their voice is represented in everything that we do, because nothing on the field side of our work is done without the voice of the union. I see the comments. I hear comments. I hear anecdotal feedback. I just know that we’ve got a trusted process that has been working. We’ve seen improvement.”
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