49ers’ George Kittle Makes Request Amid World Cup

While the World Cup takes North America by storm, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle cant help but be silent.

Kittle voiced his opinion on grass fields amid the World Cup, since the worldwide soccer tournament uses only grass fields.

A chunk of those games occurs at NFL stadiums, and that includes ones that typically have artificial turf.

Weve made it clear that we prefer grass fields, Kittle said in a statement from the NFLPA.

And clearly, we know its possible based on everything that went into putting down grass fields for the World Cup in each stadium.

NFL stadiums converting from turf to grass include SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California; A&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; MetLife Stadium in New Jersey; Lumen Field in Seattle; Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts; NRG Stadium in Houston and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Thats seven out of 32 NFL stadiums, and its close to home for Kittle since the 49ers at least play at Seattle and Los Angeles every season.

At this point, it comes down to the NFL making it a priority and choosing to invest in our players because our bodies are our business, which they get to capitalize on, Kittle added.

To Kittles point, turf has long held the reputation of causing more injuries.

The NFL has stuck with turf despite that fact, and the amount of money brought in by each team is more than adequate to switch stadiums to grass if desired.

Kittle has his point, but his Achilles tear last season notably happened on a grass field against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Nonetheless, Kittle has been a proponent of the NFL going to all grass for its stadiums.

The World Cup has also shown that its possible for indoor stadiums, the case for SoFi Stadium.

While Atlanta, Dallas and Houston have an opening or can open, fielding grass during the World Cup hasnt been a problem.

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