Sportsnaut
George Kittle isn’t done taking shots at the NFL as World Cup fever continues to grip the United States.
The San Francisco 49ers star tight end first fired a playful jab at the league earlier this month when the FIFA World Cup kicked off. With several matches being played in NFL stadiums, Kittle couldn’t help but admire the pristine natural grass at SoFi Stadium—a sharp contrast to the artificial turf the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers play on during the NFL season.
NFL insider Ari Meirov shared Kittle’s blunt message to the league on X, and the All-Pro tight end didn’t hold back.
Kittle said, “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 get to capitalize on!”
For Kittle, seeing lush natural grass rolled into NFL stadiums for the World Cup is a bit of a gut punch. The 49ers star is coming off a brutal leg injury suffered during the 2025 campaign, making the debate feel even more personal.
The NFLPA has been campaigning for league-wide grass fields for years, arguing they’re safer for players. On Friday, June 27, Kittle pointed to the massive effort teams made to install natural grass for the FIFA World Cup, questioning why franchise owners haven’t shown the same urgency when it comes to protecting the players who fuel the NFL’s billion-dollar product.
That frustration isn’t unique to Kittle. A growing number of NFL players have pushed to replace artificial turf with natural grass, even though grass fields are significantly more expensive to install and maintain. Watching turf-heavy venues transform into pristine grass pitches for soccer only added fuel to that argument.
Many players have linked artificial turf to lower-leg injuries over the years, though research on the issue has produced mixed results. As it stands, 15 of the NFL’s 30 stadiums (with the New York and Los Angeles teams sharing venues) still use artificial turf.
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