Several football fans were not happy with the NFL’s Week 1 game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers in Sao Paolo, Brazil on Friday night.
Players from both sides were seen repeatedly losing their footing on the field early in the matchup held at Corinthians Arena, a venue primarily used for soccer matches. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley slipped in the backfield on his first carry of the game.
Fans and athletes alike lambasted the poor field conditions for the contest. A handful of them also slammed the NFL for putting their players at risk for injury.
Players on the field in Brazil tonight pic.twitter.com/wArzspcuPC
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 7, 2024
Man this field sucks!!! 🤦🏾♂️ GB vs PHI
— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 7, 2024
I knew this field would suck! Stop sending our football games to other countries!
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) September 7, 2024
this field is embarrassing
absolutely egregious
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 7, 2024
Yea NFL don’t care with this field
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) September 7, 2024
This field is an utter and total joke. The NFL literally sacrifices the integrity of the game itself for the almighty dollar. Disgusting.
— Mikey “Beardown” Cuz (@BeardownCuz) September 7, 2024
Friday’s Eagles-Packers game became the NFL’s first ever played in Brazil.
The NFL’s push for international games is no surprise given the league’s desire to grow their global fan base. But given the complexities of maintaining optimum field conditions for NFL games, turning soccer stadiums into temporary football venues will always be less than ideal.
Safety concerns about the contest began way before the first snap — and it wasn’t just about the injury risk on the field.
A few players expressed their unease over the extremely high crime rate in Brazil, leading to some players never leaving their team hotel.
