SÃO PAULO, SP (UOL/FOLHAPRESS) - Athletes from the NFL (National Football League), the main American football league in the United States, are pushing for the country's stadiums to have only natural grass. They claim a greater risk of injury on synthetic pitches and use the experience of this year's World Cup as proof that the change is viable.
NFL players cite World Cup and ask for natural lawns in US stadiums
SÃO PAULO, SP (UOL/FOLHAPRESS) - Athletes from the NFL (National Football League), the main American football league in the United States, are pushing for the country's stadiums to have only natural grass. They claim a...
Players want the NFL to completely replace synthetic grass with natural fields. San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle estimated that 90 percent of athletes prefer to play on natural grass and said the league could adopt that standard if team owners "really cared."
Half of NFL stadiums have natural grass fields. The owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, Mark Davis, is one of the defenders of the model and rejected the use of synthetic turf at the Allegiant Stadium, opened in 2020, in order to preserve the safety of the athletes.
The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) argues in favor of the change with data collected between 2012 and 2018. The numbers show a 28% higher rate of non-contact leg injuries on synthetic turf, in addition to 32% more non-contact knee injuries and 69% more foot and ankle problems.
The NFL, on the other hand, maintains that there is no relevant difference in risk between the two surfaces. The league cites surveys from 2021 and 2025, years in which injury rates were nearly equal on natural and synthetic grass.
This conclusion was challenged by the NFLPA in 2023. The athletes' union assessed that the 2021 data is an "outlier" and reinforced its view that the artificial field increases the impact on the legs, with injuries requiring longer recovery.
Changing the pitches could be part of the negotiations for the next collective agreement between the league and players, after the 2030 season. The fact that the competition's stadiums have met FIFA's demands to use natural grass in World Cup games could weigh in favor of the athletes, according to North American broadcaster CBS Sports.
The NFL has already stated that it prefers to invest in technology so that synthetic grass feels closer to natural grass. The surface has lower maintenance costs and makes it easier to hold non-American football events.
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Source: Noticias ao Minuto - Esporte
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