What Was the Issue With the Super Bowl Grass?
N.F.L.|What Was the Issue With the Super Bowl Grass?
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/12/sports/football/super-bowl-turf-grass-state-farm-stadium.html
Players slid and slipped all game, leading television announcers and fans watching at home to wonder whether the field was too slippery.
Every year, the N.F.L. installs a new field for the Super Bowl to make the game as safe and presentable as possible. That was no different this year at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals.
But players have slid and slipped all game, leading television announcers and fans watching at home to wonder whether the field is too slippery. Among others, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes slipped on one play while Eagles receiver A.J. Brown lost his footing on another.
The field at State Farm Stadium, which has a retractable roof, sits on a tray that slides in and out of the venue to get sunlight. But the field has been indoors since Wednesday because the league had to install special bleachers in the end zone where the field normally slides outdoors.
It’s possible the field did not dry out as it might have under normal game conditions. Parts of the field are also painted with logos, including between the hash marks.
