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Morning Edition

February 5, 2026

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With the Super Bowl just days away, the NFL is confident its new field standards will avoid past slip-ups, and the players largely agree.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]] and David Rumsey [[link removed]]

FOS at the Super Bowl Rob Gronkowski didn’t mince words, calling it “ridiculous” that Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft were snubbed from the Hall of Fame. Read the story [[link removed]]. The NFL thinks it can finally solve one of football’s toughest officiating problems by using tech to spot the ball. Read the story [[link removed]]. Rich Eisen talked about the ESPN-NFL deal, running his own production company, and a surreal run-in with Jerry Seinfeld. Read the story [[link removed]]. The NFL says Super Bowl security will follow a familiar playbook, with coordination across federal, state, and local agencies. Read the story [[link removed]]. NFL: Super Bowl Field Standards Won’t Repeat Previous Slip-Ups [[link removed]]

FOS Images

SAN FRANCISCO — Even amid growing discord between the NFL and NFL Players Association on matters such as a potential 18-game regular season [[link removed]], there is rising consensus about developing fields around the league that can meet a “Goldilocks” standard for performance and player safety.

The union has had a long history of criticizing the league [[link removed]] about field standards, particularly amid the forthcoming FIFA World Cup and the use of natural grass in many NFL stadiums that ordinarily use synthetic fields.

The early December introduction of a new set of field standards [[link removed]], applied to both grass and synthetic fields, creates elevated requirements that each facility must meet by 2028—including ones used for an unprecedented set of international games [[link removed]]. The push toward greater quality and uniformity, however, is already accelerating.

“We’ve made meaningful progress on field safety—this year,” said NFLPA interim executive director David White. “The league has implemented new field standards that reflect the joint work that the P.A. is doing with the league. The standards are going to help move the game to a greater consistency across stadiums and across surface compositions. … The work isn’t done, but it’s progress.”

NFL EVP Jeff Miller said the new field program reflects not only constant and productive dialogue between the league and union on this issue, but a push to have fields that are neither too rigid nor too springy, and neither too tacky nor too slippery.

“We definitely understand our fields better because of the tools we’ve developed with the Players Association,” Miller told Front Office Sports [[link removed]]. “We can now measure some of those forces that allow us to create a standard to get into that Goldilocks zone between too hard and too soft. … If we can narrow what that band is when a player steps on that field, you’re going to have a similarity of feel.”

Head vs. Heart

Where there is still some disagreement, however, is the use of synthetic fields in half of the league’s 30 stadiums. In many cases, the decision to do so was made on cost, maintenance, and dome-related factors. Recent NFL injury data has generally shown no significant statistical difference in the player injury rates between grass and synthetic fields.

Players, however, continue to point to issues around synthetic fields, including injuries that involved no significant contact [[link removed]].

“Let’s be clear. More than 90% of our players prefer grass,” White said. “The data that we do have access to show that the energy return from a synthetic surface is significantly higher than it is on natural grass, which is what players say from their own experiences. It’s just harder on the body.”

Amplifying the debate is the use of grass fields for the World Cup at synthetic field venues, including MetLife Stadium, site of the World Cup final. The NFL, however, is working directly with FIFA and sharing data around field performance.

“Their athletes and our athletes are different,” Miller said. “We have multi-use stadiums and big, powerful athletes. They use their stadiums infrequently and use them with different sorts of athletes. But as we turn over our stadiums to them and they lay out their fields, we’re going to learn a lot. There will probably be insights that we gain and use.”

FOS Images Prepping the Super Bowl Site

Many of these same standards will be utilized at Levi’s Stadium, the site of Super Bowl LX on Sunday. The natural-grass field was replaced in early January, shortly before the 49ers’ season ended in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Nick Pappas, the NFL’s field director, is leading that installation process, and there is confidence there will not be a repeat of Super Bowl LVII three years ago, when the Chiefs and Eagles battled on a State Farm Stadium field likened by many players to a Slip ’N Slide.

“Nick has a saying that grass grows by the inch but dies by the foot, your foot as you step on it,” Miller said. “So we’re very comfortable with the new surface that we’ve put in, that it’s had time to take [root], and that it’s going to play really well. I know Nick is living on that surface, talking to it every day, and started painting it this morning. So we’re going to be in really good shape.”

FOS at Radio Row ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio weighs in on the Seahawks’ potential sale—and why owning an NFL team is mostly about showing up with enough cash. Watch here [[link removed]]. Sportsish founder Lily Shimbashi breaks down how Taylor Swift’s estimated $1 billion impact on the NFL is reshaping the league—and lifting women creators around sports. Watch here [[link removed]]. NFL great Michael Irvin talks about Miami’s CFP run, NIL money, and how the landscape has morphed for college athletes amid major changes. Watch here [[link removed]].

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EXCLUSIVE

Sky ‘Self-Dealing’ Suit Is Reminder of WNBA’s Painful Past

A lawsuit by an early Chicago Sky investor accusing majority owner Michael Alter of “self-dealing” is shedding new light on the franchise’s early finances and the WNBA’s most turbulent years, based on reporting from Front Office Sports. Read more in Annie Costabile’s story here [[link removed]].

NFL Podcaster John Middlekauff on Netflix Move: It’s Not Some Startup

Courtesy of The Volume

SAN FRANCISCO — As Netflix’s push into sports podcasts continues, the personalities involved are navigating the new landscape for their audiences.

“It’s cool to get the opportunity,” The Volume’s John Middlekauff told Front Office Sports at Radio Row ahead of Super Bowl LX.

Middlekauff’s NFL-focused 3 & Out show was one of several sports and entertainment programs that signed deals with Netflix for the streamer to acquire exclusive video rights, while audio versions of the shows remain on other platforms.

“It’s definitely been pretty cool for everyone on the outside of me, like my family being able to see me on Netflix,” Middlekauff said. “Because it’s not like my mom watches YouTube.”

Middlekauff is a former NFL scout and Bay Area sports radio host, and has become the top NFL and college football voice for The Volume, Colin Cowherd’s digital media network [[link removed]]. Middlekauff spoke to FOS about the move to Netflix and the future of sports podcasting. Some quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

FOS: How has the transition to Netflix been?

Middlekauff: Nothing’s really changed on my end, honestly. I kind of treat it like a daily radio show. The only thing that’s a little different than YouTube is with YouTube you’re playing the algorithm game. So, there would be a way that I would start a show with a topic—it probably would be a bigger story. And sometimes, especially during the hiring cycle, I would go live in the middle of the day. I don’t do that with Netflix. I just treat it like it’s going to come out the next day. So, maybe I wait a little bit longer in the day during the news cycle.

FOS: Have you talked to other sports podcasters moving to Netflix?

Middlekauff: I was not nervous to do it—it’s not like this is some startup. Once upon a time, people thought Apple had the market cornered with audio. And now everyone I meet listens on Spotify. It just shows you’re not going to corner the market. Netflix has been pretty successful with most things they’ve ever done. I was announced a couple weeks before the Barstool guys [[link removed]], and when they did it, that made me feel pretty good. Once I saw that, I felt validated and like it was the right decision.

FOS: What are the challenges and benefits of being a largely solo podcaster?

Middlekauff: I would say one of my only skills in life is to be able to talk—I’m a much better talker than I am a listener. I grew up listening to radio from when I was really young. Jim Rome was really big. In the late 90s, there was nothing like that. Loveline with Adam Carolla and Dr. Drew was a massive show. Nothing like that existed in the 90s. I loved radio. You didn’t know what these people looked like. So, it was like you became connected with them through their voice. I kind of got away from it—I worked in football—but once I got back into it, it was probably what I was born to do, just talk.

FOS: Would you be interested in doing more shows with a co-host?

Middlekauff: Yeah, I mean, you look at the shows that are successful, they usually have more than one individual. It’s pretty rare—Colin’s kind of unique. I’m always open to do whatever’s necessary as the landscape changes. But as right now, I’m definitely much more of an individual-based show. Now, big guests and stuff, you’d be crazy not to, but you’ve just got to do what works for you. You see the biggest podcasts, like Pardon My Take, they’re great at their personalities. Most people could not replicate it or even attempt to because it wouldn’t even be the same. So, I haven’t tried to force anything and just let things come naturally.

For more from John Middlekauff on his move to Netflix, read the full interview here [[link removed]].

What Else We’re Watching MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis back a new Rays stadium—but funding questions remain. Read the story [[link removed]]. Penn State hockey standout and top NHL prospect Gavin McKenna faces felony assault charges after an alleged bar altercation. Read the story [[link removed]]. Federal regulators are probing Nike over claims its DEI programs discriminated against white employees. Read the story [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Lakers Center Suspended for Pushing Wizards Mascot [[link removed]]by Griffin Senyek [[link removed]]The mascot was not injured after the incident. Alcaraz–Djokovic Is Most-Watched Australian Open Final Since 2017 [[link removed]]by Colin Salao [[link removed]]The 2017 men’s singles final drew 1.1 million viewers. Fox Would Consider ‘Rebalancing’ Sports Portfolio to Keep NFL [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]Lachlan Murdoch points to potential moves to keep NFL rights. Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Games [[link removed]] Show [[link removed]] Shop [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]]

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