Why U.S. Bank Stadium is Paying $1.3 Million for New Turf

The Minnesota Vikings will have a new surface to play on next season as U.S. Bank Stadium is investing over $1 million in new turf, but why?

The new turf was approved by The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority for a price of $1.3 million, the NFL and the NFL Players Association say this new turf will be safer for players and has less injury risk associated with it compared to what's currently being used. The player's union supports this turf but prefers that teams and stadiums move to real grass.

What's The Difference in Turfs?

The current turf at U.S. Bank Stadium is called "slit film turf," this turf is thicker and can become soft and flat over time, reducing traction and increasing the likelihood of a serious injury, like what we saw with Justin Jefferson earlier this season.

The new turf will be a "monofilament turf," this turf has singular thin blades that stand up straighter than other turfs. One drawback of the new turf is that painting it can cause problems over time, as the paint hardens on the rubber cushion.

What Other Teams Have Done This?

The Vikings aren't the only team making the switch to the monofilament turf, the Giants, Lions, and Jets have all replaced the slit film turf recently. The Bengals and the Colts will be the only two teams with slit film turf after the Vikings make the change.

Why Not Real Grass?

While players and the player's union want real grass in all stadiums, teams and owners are resistant to making the change, claiming that growing real grass in stadiums that weren't designed for it could result in inferior surfaces.

Chiefs TE and Taylor's boyfriend Travis Kelce said in a recent podcast, "We need to get rid of turf altogether, and I don't want to hear that it's an indoor stadium. They make UV lights. You can grow grass inside. There are frickin' pot barns down the street that are growing mountains of f****** pot. We can grow grass indoors. I don't want to hear this nonsense."