During Saquon Barkley’s first run with the Philadelphia Eagles, a moment Eagles fans had been waiting for all offseason, he slipped and fell on the turf in Brazil, losing the ball 15 feet.
He wasn’t the only player to slip on the turf at Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The NFL made a big deal of the Eagles’ game against the Green Bay Packers in Brazil, the first regular-season game in South America. But the slipping and sliding on the turf became one of the stories as people found the right streaming service to watch the game.
Packers receiver Christian Watson slipped a few times in the first quarter, including once when he was in the end zone for a potential touchdown. Other players looked very unsure as they tried to cut the ball. On one play early in the second quarter, Packers running back Emanuel Wilson ran 14 yards, stopped to cut the ball, and slipped about three feet away as he fell on his seat.
This field seems a little dangerous. The guys on both sides of the ball slip on almost every play.
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) 7 September 2024
Everyone seemed to notice the problems with the court, including former NFL star JJ Watt and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Football fields are designed for speed and agility. Smaller bodies glide across the surface with minimal contact.
They are not properly trained to withstand the size and power of NFL players who cut, push and drive all game long.
This happens a lot in international games. https://t.co/6NmjrwFty2
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) 7 September 2024
Man, this field sucks!!! 🤦🏾♂️ GB vs PHI
— LeBron James (@KingJames) 7 September 2024
The start of the game, a matchup between two of the NFL’s most talented teams, seemed uncoordinated in many ways. Perhaps it was the rare Friday night kickoff, or a commentary team far more familiar to college football fans than NFL fans, or simply the game’s unusual setting. The seemingly terrible field conditions did not help the caliber of play, with both teams struggling on the sidelines to find the right cleats for the turf.
“Do what you have to do, change shoes, but it was definitely a problem,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said at the end of the first half at Peacock.
The NFL wants to expand its game internationally and therefore sends its teams to other countries. Often these games are played in stadiums where American football is never or rarely played. You would think that the multi-billion dollar league would make sure that its players are not sent to sub-par playing surfaces.
