NFL Fields Head Back to Turf Right After World Cup Grass Got Rave Reviews From Players

MetLife Stadium spent time as a soccer pitch. Now it's heading back to synthetic turf.

MetLife, the shared home of the Giants and Jets, is one of seven NFL venues that temporarily switched to natural grass to comply with FIFA's requirements for hosting World Cup matches, according to the New York Post. Those stadiums are now beginning the process of returning to their customary synthetic playing surfaces.

That timing is what's setting off players. The switch has reignited a long-running turf war, with players viewing team owners as choosing profits over safety now that the grass fields are being pulled back out.

"A Slap in the Face"

One NFL player told the Post the switch back feels personal. "It's a slap in the face to see these soccer teams get what we've been fighting for," the player said.

The reaction has spread beyond one locker room. Players upset over the reversal have driven the hashtag #WorthTheCost on social media, framing the stadiums' willingness to install real grass for soccer — and remove it right after — as proof that cost was never the real obstacle.

The Numbers Behind the Push

This isn't just players venting. A recent NFL Players Association survey found 92 percent of 1,700 ballots cast favored natural grass over artificial turf, according to the New York Post. That's about as close to unanimous as you get in a locker room of players who rarely agree on anything else.

What Happens Next

The seven affected stadiums are already in the process of converting back to synthetic turf, according to the Post. Whether the backlash from players produces any lasting pressure on team owners, or simply fades once the World Cup memory does, remains to be seen. For now, the grass that hosted soccer's biggest tournament is coming back out, and the turf players have been fighting against is going back in.