The debate surrounding the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium playing surface has resurfaced once again. Despite the criticism and growing calls for change, the owner of the Cowboys, Jerry Jones, remains firm in his position on the issue. 

“We have no belief that it’s any safer to play on grass,” Jones said, as reported by NFL Analysis, hinting that Dallas will bring back the artificial turf after the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

According to the reports of the NFL Players Association, 92% of the NFL players preferred playing on grass rather than synthetic turf.

The NFLPA has revealed data showing higher rates of non-contact lower-body injuries on artificial surfaces, with analyses finding elevated rates of knee, foot, and ankle injuries on synthetic turf compared to grass, according to Joe Kiemen of NFL Analysis. 

However, Jones and Dallas stand by the league's findings in January.

The league said in January that injury rates are nearly identical on grass and turf fields, citing data from chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills showing rates of 0.43 on artificial surfaces and 0.42 on grass.

“AT&T Stadium has installed a FIFA-approved natural grass surface because World Cup regulations require it,” per the analyst. “Once the World Cup ends, the grass comes out, and the Cowboys go back to their artificial turf, and that sequence has become hard for a lot of players to ignore.”

The AT&T Stadium is set to host nine matches, and the stadium has undergone significant changes to meet FIFA standards by installing natural grass and blackout curtains to block the sun.

But Jones believes that artificial turf provides more economical value than installing a grass pitch and other irrigation systems to keep the pitch intact. However, he acknowledges that certain soccer competitions require natural grass, and he's willing to install it to comply with those rules.

The Cowboys' wide receivers George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb have been vocal about their surface preferences.

Lamb reshared a poll highlighting players' preference for grass over turf and tagged the NFL with a short message, “please? @nfl,” asking for change.

But Jones is not one to budge, as he is looking forward to bringing back the turf and getting back to business.

Owners Unwilling to Sacrifice Time and Revenue for Grass

NFL field director Nick Pappas explained that the time, cost, and maintenance required for natural grass are major reasons why many NFL teams do not support switching from synthetic turf.

He believes that such stadiums might lose revenue that they could generate throughout the year, regardless of seasonal games.

"That's a really challenging thing to do, is say we're going to go from a building that produces not just great football games but also community events, the opportunity for our local fans to enjoy our facility, it's hard to do that with just football games throughout the season," Pappas said, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.

According to Pappas, the frequent use of natural grass fields in NFL Stadiums outpaces their recovery time, posing another challenge of maintaining the surface.

Ultimately, the debate over grass versus turf appears to be driven more by economic considerations, as owners weigh maintenance costs and potential revenue losses tied to grass fields.

Share your thoughts on Jones' decision.

Read more at Dallas Cowboys Community.

Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar