“My ankle kind of slips for a couple of inches, and then it finally grabs on the turf,” Travis Kelce explained back in 2023 about his injury last season. Little did he know, his words would foreshadow the NFL’s slippery debut in Brazil, where players arguably are spending more time on their backsides than on their feet. On September 6, 2024, the league’s Brazilian debut turned into a slip ‘n slide spectacle that had fans on the edge of their seats in frustration.

As the Eagles and Packers took the field at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, they were battling an unexpected opponent: the turf. Saquon Barkley‘s first carry as an Eagle set the tone for the night. The star running back, poised for a breakout play, instead found himself face-down on the turf after a 5-yard loss. Talk about making a first impression!

But Barkley wasn’t alone in his struggle. Packers receiver Christian Watson‘s potential touchdown catch turned into a turf tango, and running back Emanuel Wilson‘s 14-yard dash ended with an impromptu seat slide. Wilson’s feet slid about a yard as he fell on the seat of his pants. It’s not exactly the highlight reel material these players had in mind. However, the field was not supposed to be this much unpredictable. In fact, it was set to be a somewhat ‘familiar’ experience for the football players.

The Corinthians Arena is originally a soccer field that has hosted matches for the World Cup, the Olympics, and Copa América. Normally, when NFL teams go outside of the country, either the stadiums have to modify their playing surface for American football, or the two teams simply have to deal with different grass or turf. However, the Corinthians Arena was projected to have a significant advantage for both teams.

The playing surface at Corinthians Arena uses GrassMaster, which is a product that combines perennial Ryegrass with artificial fibers. It’s basically a fancy version of real grass mixed with elements of turf fibers, as opposed to using turf strictly. Incidentally, there are currently only two stadiums in the NFL that use that same material for their playing surfaces — Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Eagles, and Lambeau Field, home of the Packers. Then what created such a mess?

Wisconsin native and former three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt has some authority to speak on the matter. Watt knows the difference between soccer and football fields. He has ownership stake in Burnley FC, an English soccer team. And he thinks such a debacle is common in international games. Why?

“Soccer fields are made for speed and agility. Smaller bodies gliding across the surface with minimal contact. They are not properly conditioned to have the size & strength of NFL players cutting, pushing and driving all game on them. This is common at international games,” Watt opined on X. Tight end Dallas Goedert said it kind of reminded him of the Super Bowl turf referring to the surface in Arizona when the Eagles lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. Such a situation might also have to do something with the cleats.

“Definitely challenging on that field. It’s not the type of field we’re used to playing on. We’ve had that type of field before. They had to play on it, as well. I’m just happy that we found a way to figure it out as a team, overcome it,” Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts said. And what was that? After becoming the first one to lose his footing, Barkley went to the sideline and told his teammates they needed to switch to longer, seven-stud cleats.

The change seemed worked well for Barkley, who then rushed for over 100 yards and finished with three total touchdowns. “It’s one of those fields where the top just came off pretty easy. That’s what they make studs for. That’s why we pack ’em. They’re not comfortable, but they are handy,” tackle Lane Johnson said. In fact, some players took the measure even before the game.

“I ran a route full speed when we did the walkthrough [Thursday], slipped, and I said, ‘I’m not going to make the same mistake twice, I’m going to seven studs,'” Goedert said. Former All-Pro Packers offensive lineman David Bakhtiari also weighed in on the same. “My thoughts on the field surface: uncommon field surface for both teams. All players should be wearing 7-studs or a flex option in forefoot (shout out Redd and T-Bone). That’ll fix majority of the slipping,” he wrote.

The field conditions quickly became the talk of the game, overshadowing the NFL’s South American premiere. Even NBA superstar LeBron James couldn’t help but notice, taking to social media to comment on the slippery situation. This unexpected twist raises questions about the NFL’s preparation for international games and whether the pursuit of global expansion is compromising player safety. But hasn’t the field issues been quite prominent in NFL’s own backyard as well?

Turf troubles are more than just an international issue

The Brazil blooper reel has reignited the ongoing turf vs. grass debate in the NFL. As Travis Kelce, speaking on the New Heights podcast, recounted his ankle injury on turf in back in 2023 against the Vikings, he ruled: “And that’s been the knock is that when you do slip, you don’t just slip right through the grass.” His brother and podcast co-host, Jason Kelce, didn’t mince words:

“We need to get rid of turf altogether.” The Eagles center even offered a solution for indoor stadiums, suggesting the use of UV lights to grow real grass indoors. Who knew NFL players were also budding horticulturists?

The NFLPA has long advocated for grass fields, citing player safety concerns. Their data shows that during the 2022 NFL season, players suffered more non-contact injuries on turf than on natural grass. JC Tretter, NFLPA president, stated bluntly as per Fox Weather, “Grass is a significantly safer surface than turf.”

While the NFL claims there are “no simple answers,” innovative solutions exist. Foxweather reported on October 11, 2023, that Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and State Farm Stadium in Arizona both feature retractable grass fields. These desert stadiums maintain natural playing surfaces by rolling the entire field in and out of the stadium. It’s like a giant Roomba, but instead of cleaning your floor, it’s keeping players safe.

As the NFL continues its global push, perhaps it’s time to roll out some new ideas – and some real grass – to keep players on their feet and fans on the edge of their seats. After all, in the high-stakes world of professional football, the last thing we want is for the biggest play of the game to be a slip-up.