George Kittle Reacts as Sofi Stadium Uses Grass for 4-1 U.S. Win
SoFi Stadium had natural grass under the field Friday night, and the United States made the most of it with a 4-1 World Cup win over Paraguay. George Kittle noticed the setup and asked, “Wonder if we could get that all season,” after watching the surface in place for the match.
SoFi Stadium Grass Draws Notice
The field looked rich, lush and naturally green for the World Cup match, a sharp contrast to the usual NFL conversation around that venue. The setup gave SoFi Stadium a different look for one night, with grass in place for the United States-Paraguay match instead of the surface fans usually associate with football there.
That visual landed in the middle of a broader argument over playing surfaces across the league. Players overwhelmingly prefer grass — 92 percent of them, by the figure cited in the piece — and the SoFi setup put that preference on display in a high-profile setting.
Kittle and the Surface Debate
Kittle’s post turned the stadium’s temporary look into a direct question about whether it could last longer. The 49ers tight end will be back at SoFi Stadium in Week 15, when San Francisco plays the Chargers there on a Thursday night.
Rams owner Stan Kroenke, though, will not embrace grass at SoFi Stadium. The article says the cost of maintaining a high-quality grass field is too high, and that a grass surface also complicates efforts to host other events at the venue.
That leaves the World Cup match as a clean demonstration of what the stadium can look like with grass, but not a sign that the arrangement will carry over into the NFL season. For players who want the surface, the Friday night match offered a clear answer; for the building’s football schedule, the economics still point the other way.
Jones On Surface Flexibility
Jerry Jones addressed the issue earlier this year at the annual meetings in Phoenix, saying AT&T Stadium has more flexibility with the way it handles its surface at the stadium. He also said, “We have no belief that it’s any safer to play on a grass [field] or a turf.”
Jones added, “I’m very comfortable putting some grass down for soccer under regulations and proud to be able to do it but quickly get that turf back out there to go about the other business of the stadium and the team.” Jermaine Eluemunor backed the grass preference too, saying, “I’m going into year 10, and I can say wholeheartedly that grass feels way better than turf.”
Eluemunor also said, “With MetLife getting grass, obviously it’s cool for FIFA and the World Cup.” For SoFi Stadium, Friday night showed the venue can host a World Cup match on natural grass, but the rest of the stadium calendar still pulls in a different direction.
