San Francisco 49ers star tight end George Kittle is always going to call it like he sees it, and his recent comments on grass fields versus turf fields is exactly what NFL owners need to hear.
With the World Cup currently going on, and many games being played in NFL stadiums, some stadiums have swapped out artificial turf for real grass, and Kittle spoke about about it.
Here is his statement, per the NFLPA:
“We’ve made it clear that we prefer grass fields. 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 in each stadium. At this point, it comes down to the NFL making it a priority and choosing to invest in us as players, because our bodies are our business, which they get to capitalize on!”
It’s a great point from Kittle and one that the NFL would do well to listen to. The vast majority of NFL players prefer grass over turf, although the data on whether players get hurt on turf more than grass is negligible.
Still, if players prefer one surface over the other, then owners should listen and invest in something that will make their players happier. Kittle’s point on how the NFL capitalizes on their bodies is a really interesting way to put it, and it’s true. The entire enterprise runs on these athletes staying healthy and playing a very violent and dangerous game, so the least that can be done is ensuring they’re comfortable with the surface that they play on.
The 49ers are fortunate they play at Levi’s Stadium which has always had real grass. Back when the stadium first opened, there were very real concerns about the quality of the grass and field, but over time, the Niners figured it out and now have what many players consider to be one of the best grass fields in the NFL.
This upcoming season, the 49ers will play 10of their 18 games on natural grass fields, which includes their eight games at Levi’s Stadium. Five of their games in the U.S. will be played on turf, while their game in Australia will be played on a hybrid of grass and artificial turf, and the game in Mexico will be on recently installed grass.
It would be nice if all NFL teams decided to install actual grass fields, but the reality is many won’t because, logistically, having a turf field is much easier especially to accommodate concerts or other events that happen at the stadiums.
Kittle and many NFL players won’t love that, but maybe over time, the league will invest in making sure their players are happy.
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