Feb 4, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; A general overall view of Allegiant Stadium, the site of Super Bowl 58 between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
NFL: Super Bowl LVIII-City Views
(Las Vegas, NV) – The San Francisco 49ers brought their practice jerseys, pads, equipment, and cleats to Las Vegas – but left their love for their practice field back home.
The word out of Sin City is that the 49ers are unhappy with their current digs. In the week leading up Super Bowl 58, Kyle Shanahan and co. say their practice field is subpar. Apparently, the team has been set up at UNLV.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the NFL installed a sod-grass field over the “field turf” artificial turf, but only began laying it last week. CBS Sports first reported on the 49ers’ objections. Typically, practice fields for the Super Bowl are required to pass certain tests and meet requirements in December. No NFL field is allowed to have a “hardness” reading below 70, and the league average is 78. The 49ers practice field has a hardness rating in the 50s. It was expected San Francisco would hold a walk-through practice sometime Monday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Kansas City is practicing at the Las Vegas Raiders facility, which is obviously already up to NFL standards.
Last year, as the Chiefs went on to win Super Bowl 57, the playing surface in Glendale, Arizona was a talking point. Members of both teams said the field was slick and didn’t provide proper footing.
