The NFL says artificial turf is safe to play on and adequate for their players. But when soccer comes to town, that all changes. All of a sudden, the expensive upgrade to grass is justified. In sports, money is often not only the solution, but the entire playbook.
In 2026, the United States, Mexico and Canada will be hosting the FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial soccer tournament that holds the title of most-viewed sporting event in the world. The FIFA World Cup is a soccer tournament in which 48 of the best teams from around the world battle it out to win the beautiful gold-globe trophy every young soccer player dreams of.
The United States is an ideal host for the World Cup because many of its enormous football stadiums can hold 50,000 people or more. However, some of these stadiums utilize artificial turf, and FIFA mandates that fields for World Cup games must be real grass.
In other words, soccer puts safety first. Artificial turf is a hard surface with no give. So when players land on it and twist, their knee suffers all the torque. The ACL is the main ligament holding the knee in place.
According to Sportico, FIFA is planning to pay up to $4 million per stadium to change fields from turf to real grass. Six stadiums will undergo this alteration.
One of the stadiums using artificial turf is MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, home of the New York Jets and New York Giants. This stadium has been the center of controversy for years, dubbed “the injury capital of the NFL.”
This season, Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers tried to come down with the ball, but came down with a torn ACL instead. Not only does this hurt the Giants, but it also hurts the entire league, putting one of its biggest superstars out of the game for the rest of the season.
Many top players have been affected similarly, including Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow and Nick Bosa, all of whom are All-Pro or Pro-Bowl athletes.
Another name that comes to mind for most NFL fans discussing artificial turf is Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham, best known for a one-handed acrobatic touchdown reception, has been affected by this problem twice.
Before he suffered his first torn ACL, Beckham reigned as a star player for 10 years. The injury occurred at Paycor Stadium, the Cincinnati Bengals’ home field, which has artificial turf. He tore it while simply running, which is a common theme for these fields.
In the 2022 Super Bowl, Beckham’s ACL tore in the same way on the turf of the Los Angeles Rams’ home, SoFi Stadium. It hurts to think about it even to this day, because SoFi Stadium’s artificial turf was changed to grass for the Concacaf Nations League finals. This change will be made again for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Almost every week of the NFL season, a player is hurt on artificial turf. The resulting injuries can be major hurdles on the road toward a legacy as one of the greats. If it weren’t for his injuries, Beckham would have had more time to display his skills and show the world that he was one of the best. Artificial turf stopped that from happening.
When I played soccer for my high school team, we held practice on our home field, which was also artificial turf. While we were drilling and I was defending, one wrong step tore four ligaments in my knee.
As someone who has experienced this injury firsthand, it’s that much more painful to watch NFL general managers look the other way when it affects so many of their star players.
It’s not right that these teams refuse to protect their superstars and these players’ careers. They should look at it as ruining their chances to become a better team, not just by hurting their star players, but also by selling these players short. They are leaving their potential on the table and ending their careers prematurely.
It’s almost guaranteed that players who suffer these kinds of knee injuries will only be a shadow of themselves afterward. It saddens every fan, because when a player gets hurt, we know how their future in the sport will probably look.
NFL players risk their body every week for the fans, the coaches and the owners. They deserve more precautions for their safety when they play.
Swapping from turf to grass for the World Cup is a clear double standard. Ensuring that FIFA athletes are playing on the safest field while ignoring the welfare of their own players is major hypocrisy on the NFL’s part. It demonstrates not only sorely misguided priorities, but a flagrant lack of care that needs to change.
Velocity 
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