Former Cowboys among NFL players asking stadium owners to keep World Cup grass

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is just about over, with the 104th match- between Argentina and Spain- set to decide the winner of a tournament that swept through the United States, Canada, and Mexico for over a month, at a fever pitch arguably unprecedented for "the beautiful game" in this country. Thousands of Americans who are far more used to football instead celebrated futbol alongside visitors from 47 other countries, with 11 NFL stadiums hosting matches.Now with less than two months before the kickoff of the NFL's regular season, those stadiums are getting back into football shape.

But not everyone is ready to entirely let go of the soccer setup, particularly at venues where the everyday artificial turf was temporarily covered with real grass.Several players are taking to social media, requesting that the NFL's owners keep the natural-grass playing surfaces that FIFA required for World Cup action. San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has been among those leading the charge, citing player safety.

Kittle is featured in a June post from the NFL Players Association that reads:"We've made it clear that we prefer grass fields. We know it's better on our bodies. And clearly, we know it's possible based on everything that went into putting down grass fields for the World Cup in each stadium.

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 capitalize on!"That post included the hashtag #WorthTheCost. The motto is now being picked up and used in posts from other players, too, including Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, Packers tight end Tucker Kraft, Commanders offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil, Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, and Panthers linebacker Devin Lloyd.

Two former Cowboys are also part of the movement. Defensive lineman Solomon Thomas and defensive tackle Neville Gallimore made posts of their own Friday, using the boilerplate language that was seen elsewhere:"