Aaron Rodgers’ horrific week 1 injury, which might end up sidelining him for the entire season, has reignited an age-old debate across the NFL circuit. Should the league convert all artificial turfs to grass fields? As fans continue to voice their support in favour of adopting grass, a new update on the meagre cost of converting all fields has sent shockwaves across the NFL circuit.
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As reported by Forbes, converting all the fields to grass would cost just $12,000,000. While the amount in question is still huge, if one compares it to the salary of just a one-star player like Aaron Rodgers, who will make $75,000,000 for four snaps, it appears to be rather minuscule.
The Cost of Shifting to Grass Fields is Extremely Low in Contrast to NFL’s Annual Revenue
Aaron Rodgers suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon during the Jets’ season opener against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium. The MetLife stadium is one of the 14 NFL stadiums that continue to harbour an artificial surface. Amidst all this, a report by Forbes claimed that it would only cost the NFL about $12 million to shift to grass fields at all 14 venues which continue to use artificial turf.
According to the report, it would cost “roughly $500,000 for demolition, new rock underlayment and irrigation(drainage could be reused) and another $350,000 for lay-and-play sod.” Thus, the total cost per stadium amounts to only $850,000. Therefore, if all 14 stadiums decide to make the shift to grass it would require a total of approximately $11.9 million in total.
This figure may seem huge to a general onlooker, but it becomes a very small figure in contrast to the revenue earned by the NFL. The NFL’s revenue for the ongoing 2023/24 season is set to reach a whopping $20 billion, making the investment required for changing to grass fields seem almost insignificant.
Fans have also unleashed their fury on the NFL, after getting this particular piece of information, courtesy of an Instagram post by Boardroom. A user named ‘nickilishious’ vowed to start a fundraiser campaign to raise $12 million so that the change is made as soon as possible. The user wrote, “I will literally start a go fund me right now and we can raise the money in five minutes because this is bulls**t.” Another one wrote, “$12,000,000, That’s It?” Most users felt that the amount is extremely small terming it as “Chump Change” and “Pocket Change” for the NFL.
David Bakhtiari Blames the NFL For Ignoring Player Safety After Aaron Rodgers’ Injury
Not long ago, Packers’ David Bakhtiari also shared similar sentiments alongside millions of fans across the world, as he put the blame on MetLife Stadium’s artificial turf for Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending injury. Bakhtiari, who played alongside Rodgers in Green Bay, launched a scathing attack on the NFL asking them some tough questions. He urged the NFL to do better, citing the stadiums’ plan to change over to grass fields before the United States hosts the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
“Congrats NFL,” Bakhtiari fumingly wrote on Monday on X,(formerly Twitter). “How many more players have to get hurt on ARTIFICIAL TURF??! You care more about soccer players than us. You plan to remove all artificial turf for the World Cup coming up. So clearly it’s feasible. I’m sick of this.. Do better!” David had added.
Aaron Rodgers’ injury has certainly created huge pressure on the NFL to prioritise player safety. The $12 million investment might just be the wiser choice to make, as it aims to ensure a smoother experience for the players on the gridiron. The NFL needs to address these concerns soon enough in order to eradicate such injuries in future.
