Giants player calls out MetLife Stadium double standard over turf vs. grass

It's an issue that's been divisive for decades: grass or artificial turf? The latter has now taken over half of NFL stadiums, with 17 of the league's 32 teams playing home games on the surface.

Players have been complaining about a perceived increase in injuries and risk of bodily harm when playing on artificial turf fields compared to natural grass, but those concerns have gone practically unheard. Now an entirely different sport has one NFL player calling out a glaringly obvious double standard.

On Wednesday morning, New York news station PIX 11 posted video of natural grass that had been installed at MetLife Stadium in preparation for the FIFA Club World Cup. Five group-stage matches and four knockout round games will be played at the home of the New York Giants and Jets, usually an artificial turf stadium.

Giants right tackle Jermain Eluemunor quoted the video and commented with a meme evoking a sense of "really, they get grass but not us?"

MetLife Stadium grass vs. turf double standard deservedly called out by Giants player

Eluemunor's feelings are entirely valid here. The NFL and MetLife Stadium have maintained that artificial turf will remain despite player concerns, but the latter has kowtowed to soccer federations at the snap of a finger to accommodate their players' needs.

Several soccer leagues have experimented with artificial surfaces over the years but ultimately returned to natural grasss because of player feedback and poor product. But because turf is cheaper and easier to maintain, it's spread in the States.

Even the NFL Players Association got in on calling out the hypocrisy, quote posting their own response to the grass video saying, "Looks nice... #SaferFields."

NFLPA president JC Tretter released a letter in 2023 explaining the players' case and cited data that determined injury risks are higher on artificial turf compared to natural grass surfaces.

"Players have a 28% higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries when playing on artificial turf," Tretter's findings read in part. "Of those non-contact injuries, players have a 32% higher rate of non-contact knee injuries on turf and a staggering 69% higher rate of non-contact foot/ankle injuries on turf compared to grass."

It's clear stadiums are prioritizing the money they save on their water bills by not permanently using natural grass surfaces over the safety of players. Eluemunor and others are just saying the quite part out loud now.