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Brooke Pryor
Multiple Authors
In anticipation of Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium, a number of NFL players, including Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and Washington Commanders offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, are urging for permanent grass playing surfaces via social media, using the hashtag #WorthTheCost.
MetLife Stadium is one of the venues that has transitioned from artificial turf to grass for the 78 FIFA World Cup matches taking place at NFL stadiums this summer.
“If stadiums can successfully use grass for the World Cup, they can do the same for NFL players. We’re #WorthTheCost,” Tunsil stated in a post on X.
Green Bay linebacker Zaire Franklin added his voice to the conversation.
“The cost of inaction falls on the players’ bodies,” Franklin wrote in his own post. “Make grass mandatory. We’re #WorthTheCost.”
This renewed advocacy on social media follows a statement issued by the NFLPA at the start of the FIFA World Cup, encouraging team owners to shift to natural grass surfaces. At FIFA’s request, all 11 NFL stadiums hosting World Cup events made the switch to natural grass. Seven of these stadiums typically use synthetic turf as their main surface for NFL games and will revert to that after the tournament concludes on Sunday.
“The temporary installation of natural grass fields for the World Cup reflects a willingness by certain NFL team owners to prioritize soccer players over NFL players,” the NFLPA stated in a social media post five weeks ago. “This issue is no longer about feasibility; the technology, expertise, and resources to install top-quality grass fields that our players overwhelmingly prefer are available.”
“We have witnessed significant investments to meet the standards for international athletes and high-profile events. NFL players—who regularly play on these fields and help fund these venues—deserve the same commitment to quality grass fields.”
The NFLPA emphasized that “92% of NFL players favor natural grass.”
As of Friday afternoon, the NFL had not responded to a request for comment regarding the players’ social media activism.
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle also expressed his strong support for grass fields in a statement released in June.
“We’ve made our preference for grass fields clear,” he said. “We understand it’s better for our bodies. Clearly, we know it’s possible given the efforts to lay down grass for the World Cup in each stadium.”
“At this stage, it is up to the NFL to prioritize this and invest in us as players, because our bodies are our business, which they profit from!”