‘Stop International Games,’ ‘This Game Should Be Played in America’ — NFL Fans Raise Player Safety Concerns Over Ravens-Cowboys Game in Brazil
· Yahoo Sports
The NFL wanted a marquee international game in Rio de Janeiro that would bring fans from both sides of the Atlantic together. What it has instead gotten is a week-long argument about whether the grass can survive four quarters of NFL football.
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NFL Fans Question Why Ravens-Cowboys Is Still in Brazil
The Baltimore Ravens and the Dallas Cowboys are scheduled to meet Sunday at Maracanã Stadium, but by Friday, the NFL Players Association said its experts believed the field needed better traction and stability before kickoff.
That was more than enough to reignite frustration among fans already tired of hearing about another international game.
“Stop international games,” one fan simply wrote.
Another fan argued that a game of this magnitude shouldn’t be played outside the U.S., writing, “This game should be played in America. Send the Browns and the Jets to Brazil”
“I mean, this is why I can’t stand the international games and would rather not see one ever again,” a third fan added while reacting to the concerns surrounding the venue.
Don’t care to expand one of America’s greatest sports. The NFL leadership really sucks now. BIG TIME.”
The fan frustration is not coming out of nowhere.
Flamengo players who regularly use Maracanã complained earlier about bumps and poor surface conditions, while heavy rain in Rio added another complication. The field had already prompted calls to relocate the matchup before the NFL doubled down on keeping it in Brazil.
Recent history also works against the league here. The NFL’s 2024 game in São Paulo became infamous for players slipping throughout the night, so another round of grass-related headlines in Brazil was never going to receive much patience.
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The NFLPA’s Friday update added some important nuance. Executive director JC Tretter said the concern was that the field could be “loose, patchy” and cause excessive slipping.
He described it more as a playability and performance issue than a major injury threat, but the union’s experts still recommended reinforced stitching to help the surface hold together.
That distinction probably will not calm anyone if Lamar Jackson or Dak Prescott starts skating through a cut Sunday.
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NFL Says Maracanã Will Be Ready
The league has maintained confidence in the field and says its crew has been working with union experts in Rio. The NFLPA said its representatives will continue evaluating the surface through kickoff.
Sunday’s matchup is not exactly a throwaway game, either. PFN’sWeek 3 power rankings have Baltimore at No. 11 and Dallas at No. 20, with both teams entering at 1-1.
The Ravens are trying to recover from a fourth-quarter collapse against New Orleans, while Dallas is coming off a 37-20 win over Washington.
This will be the NFL’s first regular-season game in Rio, and the league clearly sees Brazil as part of a much larger international push. That makes the field controversy particularly awkward.
The whole point is to showcase the product to a new market. A slippery, patchy surface could become the story instead. The NFL insists Maracanã will be ready. The union says work was necessary and will continue monitoring the field.
Fans are asking a much simpler question: Why create this problem at all?
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.