It’s that time year again! Welcome to yet another fresh season of the NFL. However, it isn’t a pleasant start to a few, certainly not for the NBA superstar LeBron James. Jordan Love’s Green Bay Packers kick off their season against Jalen Hurts’ Philadelphia Eagles on a Friday night spectacle in São Paulo, Brazil. While the game has a historical connotation as the first NFL game ever played in South America, there’s a serious issue attached to it as well.

Right from the tip-off, there have been safety concerns for the players because of the slippery condition of the playing surface. Reacting to it, LeBron James took to his X handle and wrote, “Man this field sucks!!! GB vs PHI”, with a palm on the face emoji, expressing his disappointment.

Even though the NFL chased down history and hosted its first-ever game in the Latin Continent, it has come at a price. Usually, the US arenas use artificial turfs, whereas the Corinthians Arena has natural grass. Apparently, this has impacted player’s footing and gameplay. Most importantly, in a game that is prone to injuries, the players have increased injury risks.

LeBron James, being a sporting superstar and an ardent fan of the game, rightfully vented out his disappointment. Moreover, the NFL world witnessed the effects of a slippery playing surface at regular intervals. Notably, Saquon Barkley, who got his first carry as an Eagles player, slipped and lost it in 5 yards. This is just a single instance, and the fans witnessed many.

NFL world joins LeBron James as they rage over the slippery turf

Before featuring the true representation of the NFL world, let’s do justice to King James’ NBA connection. The NY Knicks‘ Josh Hart, who also speaks his mind on social media, didn’t hold back on the season opener. He wrote, “Yea NFL don’t care with this field.” The resilient guard directly took the attack to the management and blamed it for the playing conditions. On the other hand, a few fans found humor in the situation.

This fan didn’t hesitate to make a callback. They wrote, “The Eagles’ ultimate enemy: a slippery field.” Over the last few decades, the Eagles side has produced a few great matchups and also collected enemies on their way. Cowboys, Commanders, and Giants are the notable rivalries. However, there’s another enemy, which is the slippery turf. During the Super Bowl LVII against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Philly side took an unfortunate loss.

Following the game, the Eagles had to give an unusual excuse for their loss, which was the slippery turf. Nevertheless, it was immediately turned down, as Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said, “Both teams played on the same field.” Fast forward to today, the team again faced the same problem. In addition to the Eagles’ misery from the past, another fan wrote, “I’m getting Super Bowl turf flashbacks already.” It’s definitely a cry of a disappointed Eagles fan.

The bottom line is, it’s only fun until a player sustains a serious injury. So, the management should have extra control over the playing conditions before testing the players on it.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.