Rihanna’s Super Bowl Performance Reportedly Made Slippery Field Conditions Even Worse
Super Bowl LVII viewers observed players slipping and sliding on the grass throughout the game. While it’s hard to know its exact impact on the game, players were openly frustrated over the field conditions. The problem was evident in the first half of the Super Bowl, and new reports suggest that Rihanna’s large-scale halftime performance worsened the conditions in the second half.
Players repeatedly slipped due to the field conditions during Super Bowl LVII
Super Bowl LVII occurred at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, where conditions weren’t ideal. Even fans and commentators began to suspect something was off. Many squirmed while watching Philadelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott slip while performing a kickoff.
Several players expressed their frustration after the game, including Eagles offensive lineman Jordan Mailata, who compared the conditions to “playing on a water park.” Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick also complained about the field but didn’t want to make excuses for losing to the Kansas City Chiefs.
“Y’all watched the game, y’all saw it, there was a lot of slipping all over that field,” Reddick shared. “It didn’t even matter, I changed my cleats, still had seven studs and was still was slipping so, I don’t know. You know, I don’t want to use it as an excuse, I’m not that type of guy, I’m not going to make excuses. Still props to them, they still won, they’re champs, they should enjoy it.”
Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show only made conditions worse
Many fans were excited to watch Rihanna perform at the Super Bowl halftime show. Her performance was filled with incredible moments, including the reveal that she was pregnant with her second child. However, players on both teams were only concerned about their plan for the second half, including how they would deal with the field conditions.
Unfortunately, the Super Bowl grass only got more slippery after Rihanna performed. In an interview on The Pat McAfee Show, NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport shared how her performance worsened the field conditions.
“The halftime show, which basically spanned the entire field, it pressed the grass, it heated it up, and got it slick,” Rapoport said. “It basically increased the moisture in the grass because it didn’t allow it to breathe because it pressed down on the grass. Then you take the halftime show off the grass, and it’s a little bit wetter, and in the third quarter, everybody was sliding around.”
The NFL experimented with new grass for the game
Rihanna’s Super Bowl performance isn’t responsible for the poor conditions at the game, as the NFL decided to experiment with new grass for the biggest game of the season. According to the New York Post, the NFL spent two years working on the grass for this game and installed it at State Farm Stadium two weeks prior.
The NFL spent $800,000 on the grass engineering that turned out to be a miniature disaster. The only other stadium to use this kind of grass technology is Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, home of next year’s Super Bowl. Hopefully, the NFL can figure out how to make the grass less slippery before then.
