The Great Turf War: Lions Fans Should Care More Than You Think
As NFL stadiums across the country swap turf for grass ahead of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, some NFL players are hoping that change stays permanent. And honestly? They should.
Half of all NFL stadiums use artificial turf for football games. Seven NFL stadiums have replaced that turf with softer grass for the tournament kicking off next month, including MetLife Stadium, AT&T Field, Gillette Stadium, Lumen Field, NRG Stadium, SoFi Stadium and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. FIFA uses only grass fields, which means these franchises just got a glimpse of what their players have been asking for.
JC Tretter, executive director of the NFLPA, says a vast majority of players he’s talked to want the grass to stay. The numbers don’t lie.
“If you ask every player that we polled, 1,700 players, 92% say they want grass over turf,” Tretter said recently on the “Not Just Football” podcast. “There is something about the feeling of being on grass, the body feels different. I think if you ask the coaches, just standing on grass vs. standing on turf for three hours feels different. There is something there that impacts the body.”
Ford Field and the Harsh Reality
Here’s where it gets uncomfortable for Lions fans. Ford Field uses FieldTurf, which means our guys are grinding it out on artificial surface while watching other stadiums roll out the green carpet for soccer players.
The NFL and NFLPA agreed on a new method of choosing what to play on in stadiums that requires teams to select from an approved set of metrics and styles for both natural and synthetic fields. But let’s be real about what that means in practice.
“You look at FIFA, they’re rolling out the green carpet for soccer players. And that has become the norm,” Tretter said. “Over in European leagues, that is what you do. You play on grass. They have surface standards that each thing is rolled out. It’s exactly how it’s supposed to be. And those players will not play if it’s not that.”
The Lions Connection You Didn’t See Coming
Former Lions tight end Shane Zylstra has found a new home with a team the Lions will face in 2026. Because of course he did.
The Lions will also be wearing a new alternate uniform in 2026. Rod Wood said their new Nike Rivalries Collection uniform is “consistent with our color and look, but with a little modern twist.” What that twist is remains a mystery, but hopefully it’s better than some of the fashion choices this franchise has made over the years.
And for Detroit sports fans looking for a road trip opportunity, the Tigers head to Toronto to play the Blue Jays September 14th-16th, while the Lions head to Buffalo to play the Bills on September 17th. Toronto is about two hours away from Buffalo, which makes for one hell of a sports weekend if you can swing it.
Are we really going to watch other stadiums upgrade to grass while Ford Field sticks with turf, or is this the push the Fords need to make a change? Sound off below.
This is the kind of thing that actually matters more than people think. 92% of players want grass and we’re still out here on turf? Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes have done so much to turn this culture around, but this feels like something they need to push the ownership to fix. Our guys deserve the same surface as what seven other stadiums just got for a soccer tournament.
I get the frustration but let’s pump the brakes a little. The Fords aren’t broke and they’re clearly invested in making this team competitive again with Campbell and Holmes running things. But yeah, if we’re gonna keep telling our players we’re different and we’re building something special, maybe we gotta actually invest in stuff like this instead of watching other teams get the upgrades.
You know what kills me? Back in the day we were just grateful to have a stadium at all. Now we’re watching MetLife and SoFi get grass for the World Cup while we’re grinding on FieldTurf. The difference between then and now is we actually have competent people running this franchise now so maybe, just maybe, they’ll get this done. The bar was so low for so long.
This is a no brainer honestly. Players say they want grass, their bodies feel better on grass, and other teams are literally getting it installed right now. Campbell cares about taking care of his guys and this is exactly the kind of thing that shows we’re serious about being an elite organization. Let’s get it done.