Players across the NFL are ready for a turf war over the surfaces they play on.
Ahead of the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, multiple NFL players took to social media to emphasize their desire to make grass playing surfaces permanent across the league, using the hashtag #WorthTheCost.
“Natural grass isn’t out of reach. Prioritizing players shouldn’t be either! We’re #WorthTheCost,” Colts running back Jonathan Taylor posted to X on Friday.
The calls come as MetLife — and other stadiums throughout the NFL — replaced artificial turf with natural grass for the global soccer tournament.
“If stadiums can make grass work for the World Cup, they can make it work for NFL players. We’re #WorthTheCost,” Commanders offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil wrote in a post on X.
The latest push from the players on social media comes after the 11 NFL stadiums used in the World Cup installed grass playing surfaces at FIFA’s request.
Seven of those stadiums typically use synthetic turf for NFL games and will be returning to that type of surface at the World Cup’s conclusion.
The NFLPA released a statement at the start of the tournament urging NFL owners to make the switch to grass.
“The temporary installation of natural grass fields for the World Cup is a choice by certain NFL team owners to do for soccer players what they refuse to do for NFL players,” the NFLPA said in a statement in June. “It’s no longer a question of capability; the technology exists, the expertise exists and the resources exist to install the high-level grass fields that our players overwhelmingly prefer.
“We have seen the meaningful investments made to meet the standard for international athletes and global events. NFL players — who regularly compete on these fields help fund these stadiums and whose work makes the league what it is today — deserve the same commitment to quality grass fields.”
Their post added that “92 percent of NFL players prefer natural grass.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
