San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle used the FIFA World Cup Spain vs. Argentina final as an opportunity to revive the league's long-running grass-versus-turf debate, which quickly drew mixed reactions from fans.

Kittle attended the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New York and tagged the NFL in his X post, making a final appeal for grass pitches in NFL stadiums. 

“Grass still looks great!” Kittle’s X post read. “Let’s use grass instead of turf @NFL!! Please? Thanks, guys!”

George Kittle, in his July 19 X post, urged the NFL to retain grass rather than switch back to artificial turf.

NFL stadiums are expected to switch back to artificial turf once the World Cup ends. Seven of the eleven NFL stadiums hosting the World Cup agreed to install grass to meet FIFA standards, including AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Kittle had previously called out the league for capitalizing on players’ bodies despite injury concerns over playing on turf, via a statement through the NFLPA.

“At this point, it comes down to the NFL making it a priority and choosing to invest in us as players, because our bodies are our business, which they get to capitalize on!” Kittle said, per the NFLPA's X post.

The NFLPA posted data showing 92% of the NFL players prefer playing on natural grass.

The NFL reported injury rates of 0.43 on artificial turf and 0.42 on grass per 100 plays for non-contact lower-body injuries, claiming the difference to be statistically the same.

With nearly half of the NFL stadiums featuring artificial turf, Kittle's plea to the league to incorporate a grass pitch for all stadiums sparked mixed reactions from fans online.

George Kittle's grass field push sparks split among NFL fans

As Kittle took to X to make his appeal to the NFL, fans' reactions were divided over the surface debate.

One fan echoed Kittle's sentiment by calling out the league for prioritizing profits over players.

"George, it's never going to happen because as long as NFL owners value profits over players' health, you'll never get grass," one fan commented.

Another fan commented by pointing out the high injury risk to players' bodies from playing on turf.

"It's wild they can't get that done for y'all! Way easier on ligaments and joints!!" another fan commented.

One fan stood with the NFL, stating that constant maintenance is required to retain the grass.

"It needs sunshine. It can't be cold, snowed on, then melted, and trudged on by cleats and look like this. Winter is cold and rainy in most places. Not a good combo for real grass and football. It would work in some stadiums/places, but not all," one fan wrote.

Another fan backed that up by stating that, as the NFL season is in winter, grass couldn't survive such harsh weather.

"It's also 81°F in summer, y'all remember you playing in snow, right?" another fan wrote.

One fan argued that the NFL is more focused on financial logistics than on maintaining natural playing surfaces.

"Lots of stupid people keep mentioning cold weather. They use heating and blanketed technology under the grass. Grass just costs more to maintain; that is it," one fan argued.

What’s your take? Should the NFL permanently ditch turf for natural grass, or are the logistical challenges too high? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore