Besides the Chiefs’ victory and Patrick Mahomes’ continuation of his already considerable NFL legacy, the big talking point at the Super Bowl this year was the deplorable state of the playing surface.
Time and time again, players from both teams slipped and slid on the turf, with some deciding to change cleats in order to get back on solid footing.
Now it seems one college football the program takes part of the responsibility for the grass: Oklahoma State took credit for providing the surface for the event, as the school boasted about it on social media before kickoff.
ESPN wrote an article about the surface – “Super Bowl LVII Turf Was Years in the Making” – describing it as one of “new breeds of turf developed with funding from the United States Golf Association.” “
The grass project was called Tahoma 31.
“Tahoma 31 is a blend of two types of Bermuda grass and ryegrass, and it was developed at Oklahoma State University under the watchful eye of Dr. Yanqi Wu,” according to the report.
“He began the process of creating the Tahoma 31 in 2006, when he crossed Bermuda grass from China and Bermuda grass from Africa. A year later, the seeds were harvested and the grass was tested and studied across the country until 2018.”
A USGA agronomist boasted that it would be “gratifying to see a grass that I guarantee will perform so well on television.”
But after watching the Super Bowl game, it’s safe to say he could have done better.
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