The terrible condition of the 49ers’ field was a running story throughout last year’s training camp, forcing the team to tear up the turf and completely replace it after just two preseason games. The grass is just as bad this year, and may have played a role in the Niners cutting short last night’s practice.


Here’s what the field has looked like over the last few days:


The Niners returned to Levi’s Stadium for a padded practice only because it was on the schedule—20,000 season-ticket holders were in attendance. It went kind of rough.



The 49ers closed out their practice at half-speed, and ended the whole thing after just two hours—much shorter than normal.


The team insists practice was curtailed due to a lack of healthy inside linebackers and not the condition of the turf. But this is getting kind of ridiculous. For whatever reason, the 49ers can’t keep their grass in shape, and with a series of non-football events coming up (Taylor Swift concert next week!), it’s only going to get worse. If they can’t figure out how to make natural grass work—and other stadiums in much less hospitable climes do—it’s probably time to consider artificial turf.

[Bay Area Sports Guy]