The High-Tech 2-Year Story Behind Super Bowl 2023’s Disastrous Turf – SlashGear

The growing process began back in May 2021, the NFL says, at a sod farm local to the stadium. It consists of a Bermuda grass base and a ryegrass overseed, the AP reports. More than 600 rolls — each 40 feet in length — were prepared, according to ESPN, and brought to the Arizona Cardinal’s field four weeks ago. There, around 30 people helped load it onto the vast tray — 234 feet in width, and 403 feet long — that can roll on steel wheels inside the stadium like a pizza sliding into an oven.

Problem is, for Super Bowl 57, the end result seems half-baked. Players have been slipping and almost falling on the surface. Fans of both teams have been vocal in their criticism of how the natural grass has held up, comparing the field to a Slip ‘N Slide. That’s bad news for a project that cost more than $800,000, according to Business Insider.