As big as the game itself. The experimental turf grass that was created by Oklahoma State University became the talk of social media throughout Super Bowl LVII.
As players struggled with footing in all three phases, and even in the act of celebrating a touchdown, social media called into question the playing surface.
In theory, it may not have been a bad idea to specially design a surface that could withstand the many events that would take place on Sunday night. But the result created a surface that was slippery, wet, and, as Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata described, was like playing “on a water park.”
Hassan Reddick said, “I’m not going to lie: It was the worst field I’ve ever played on… It was very disappointing. It’s the NFL. You would think it would be better so we could get some better play, but it is what it is. I don’t know. Maybe the league will look at it and tell Arizona they got to step their stuff up.”
Everyone on the field had to play on the same turf, and some dealt with it better than others. However, when the NFL puts the time, energy, and finances it did into a playing surface, it doesn’t want that surface to become the talk of the game.
It wants the focus on the field. While there was a great game being played, the surface became a side story that got the NFL and Oklahoma State roasted. Here are some of the best reactions on Twitter to the poor playing surface.