Historic MLB Stadium Wrigley Field’s turf is completely destroyed during the Northwestern Iowa game as referees have to repair turf in the fourth quarter
- The Hawkeyes defeated their rivals with a 53-yard goal in the final 14 seconds. of the game
- The NFL players’ union has called on the league to make grass fields illegal for games
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Iowa-Northwestern proved to be a close affair despite being a low-scoring game, although that may have been partly due to turf issues at Wrigley Field.
Both teams played Saturday’s Big Ten game at the Cubs’ ballpark, but after an uneventful first half, which was scoreless by the way, things took a turn for the worse in the fourth quarter.
During the final 15 minutes of the Midwestern college rivalry game, the on-field officials had to flatten the divots on the playing surface several times, trying to limit the damage done by the extra bodies outside.
What’s more is that after an 18-play drive in the fourth quarter, Northwestern squandered its chance to convert a fourth down after struggling to gain leverage on the ground with a quarterback sneak.
The grounds crew even had to come out with 5:49 left in the game to try to patch up some of the turf near one of the end zones. They covered it with sand.
A detail of damaged grass in the second half between Northwestern and Iowa at Wrigley Field
The grounds crew repaired the turf several times in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game
Fans were quick to react to the moment on social media, especially when Iowa was up 7-0 on what turned out to be a good day for the Hawkeyes.
“Shocker Wrigley Field’s grass is being torn up… will be an ice rink by the end of the game… both teams are having enough trouble scoring,” said a user on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Why do they still let football teams play on the baseball field,” another commented. ‘The turf they put over it falls apart immediately. Structural Integrity Of A Nature Valley Bar Lmao. Terrible idea.’
‘Don’t get it twisted. Great stadium, just not for football anymore,” said one user who lives in the Midwest. “If you roll on grass, it can tear apart when 300-pounders push against each other. Wrigley Field can hardly be blamed.”
“Lmao the turf is a disaster at Wrigley,” one person tweeted.
“That’s all to do with ACL,” said another, fearing players could get injured playing on artificial grass.
Wrigley Field is normally home to the MLB’s Chicago Cubs, but was converted into a football field for Saturday’s game
Speaking of which, in September the NFL players’ union renewed calls for grass fields following Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending Achilles injury in his debut with the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, which uses artificial turf for football games.
The association has wanted all grass fields for years. In April, the union published studies from 2012 to 2022 that argued for a significant increase in non-contact injuries on artificial surfaces versus grass.
The NFL has defended artificial turf, pointing to 2021, when injury rates on both surfaces were close.
Rodgers advocated for turf across the league last November while playing for the Green Bay Packers. He said some artificial surfaces are softer, causing more wobble when the foot hits the ground. Grass causes cleats to pull away, creating a divot.