Days after the FIFA World Cup Tournament left some of its American NFL venues with the pristine grass fields it installed, the change back to synthetic turf normalcy has already begun. And that’s unwelcome news for NFL players.
That is why the NFL Players Association will consider whether to make a requirement for grass fields across the NFL a top-tier demand in future collective bargaining negotiations with the league, according to a union source.
A final decision on that approach is not imminent, the source said.
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The reason this is an issue now is that NFL players watched World Cup matches on grass fields played in six NFL stadiums that normally house artificial turf. The last of those happened Sunday at MetLife Stadium, where the Final between Argentina and Spain was decided on a field sodded with North Carolina Bermuda grass.
And that made the NFL players long for the grass fields they believe are easier on their bodies and perhaps mitigate some injuries.
But MetLife will be converted back to turf in the coming weeks in preparation for the New York Giants and New York Jets to play preseason and regular-season games and the five other venues that hosted World Cup games have already torn out the million-dollar grass fields and replaced them with man-made turf.
The NFL players who longingly watched the same stadiums they play in go from artificial turf to grass started a social media campaign to keep the grass. Aligned with the NFLPA, players such as San Francisco Giants tight end George Kittle and Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams advocated for playing on grass fields across the entire league.
But that campaign hasn’t and probably won’t change anything. It’s a losing battle because it relies on NFL owners making a conscious decision to lose money – either by having to more often replace grass fields after events such as concerts, or hosting fewer events.
The social media campaign was an appeal that will have no effect in the coming season.
That leaves the NFLPA considering whether to advocate for the overwhelming desire of its membership in both casual and then formal talks with the NFL in hopes of including the issue in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement after the current one expires in March 2031.
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There is no certainty this will happen because, as one NFLPA source told Fox News Digital, asking for something always means having to give up something and that often means money in negotiations with owners – as in players would get less.
To get grass mandated in a CBA, the players would have to give up something else. At a bare minimum, the league would want to split the total cost of installing and maintaining grass in stadiums where more durable turf is the norm.
Owners might also try to make the installation of grass fields part of an exchange for the addition of an 18th regular-season game and more international games.
Without a collectively bargained agreement on the topic, players will be left at the whim of owners who may or may not decide to replace their turf with grass to please their players.
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“That’s a hope and hope is not often a good strategy for getting what you need,” a player union source said.
The Buffalo Bills will meet that hope because they have installed grass in their new Highmark Stadium that will debut in the coming season. But that means that 14 other NFL stadiums, housing 16 home teams, will continue use synthetic turf.
That includes the stadiums that hosted World Cup matches played on grass.
Follow Armando Salguero on X: @ArmandoSalguero
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