David Bakhtiari has been leading the charge for years. Now, with the FIFA World Cup taking the spotlight this summer, it has exposed the NFL's problem with artificial turf.
The United States, Canada, and Mexico are co-hosting this year's World Cup, which means the majority of games are held at NFL stadiums. Under FIFA regulations, every stadium must feature grass and not the artificial turf commonly seen in the NFL.
It means stadiums like MetLife, AT&T, and SoFi have had to make significant changes to comply with the regulations, swapping out the turf for grass pitches. But by the time September rolls around, the controversial turf will return.
Not in Green Bay, though. Even in the frozen, challenging Wisconsin winters, Lambeau Field remains home to natural grass. The World Cup is shining a spotlight on one of the NFL's most frustrating problems, but it's fortunately not something the Packers have to deal with when they play at home.
The World Cup is proving why the Packers have it right at Lambeau Field
Multiple NFL players have spoken publicly about their frustrations since the World Cup began.
That includes New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who said that playing on natural grass "is a lot less taxing on the knees and ankles and joints." Stevenson isn't the only one. Dallas Cowboys safety Julius Wood spelled it out more bluntly:
"Football is supposed to be played on grass," Wood told Ryan Myers of the Dallas Morning News.
You should. https://t.co/fbsxrx1iQg
— David Bakhtiari (@DavidBakhtiari) June 13, 2026
They're not wrong.
Bakhtiari isn't the only former Packers offensive lineman who has led the charge on the grass-over-turf campaign, either. Former Green Bay center JC Tretter, who is now the Executive Director of the NFL Players Association, shared some eye-opening stats.
"Specifically, players have a 28% higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries when playing on artificial turf. 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," Tretter wrote.
It just makes us even more thankful for Lambeau Field.
Lambeau already gives the rest of the NFL no excuse. It would be far easier for the Packers to maintain artificial turf in Green Bay's wintry conditions, but they have stuck with natural grass. Real football.
If it's possible to play on a grass field in Green Bay in December, no other team has an excuse.
The World Cup has only made it even more embarrassing for the NFL. Stadiums with artificial turf for American football have had no choice but to roll out grass for the other football.
It adds fuel to the fire and will increase the debate. Fortunately for the Packers, it's a problem they don't need to worry about at Lambeau Field.
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