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The NFL faces two major issues heading into the 2026 season: how fans watch games and ongoing discussions on playing surfaces.
The former has been controversial, so much so that there was a hearing earlier this month regarding the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, as fans pay the sum to watch games exclusively on streaming sites.
Greg Olsen, a former NFL analyst turned FOX analyst, understands, however, that the league is a lucrative business.
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Greg Olsen, NFL analyst and former player, explains how Zebra data helps teams analyze and improve player performance and how RFID technology improves the fan experience in New Orleans, Louisiana, February 5, 2025. (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
“I understand. From an unbiased, high-level perspective, I understand it. I understand the frustrations and why this conversation is happening. The number of different streamers and subscriptions, and I need cable to go with my cable. I understand all of that — I’m also a realist,” Olsen recently told PK Press Club Digital.
“Even though I may not have designed it that way and I don’t always agree with it, I believe we just have to operate within the rules that we all live by. We’re in the modern era and I think people are going to adapt. I think the networks are going to pivot and adjust, I think the cable channels are going to pivot and adjust, just like how these streamers will continue to evolve. At some point, everything will work out.”
Netflix and NFL signage announces the two NFL Christmas Day marquee games streaming live on Netflix in New Orleans, Louisiana on December 1, 2024. (Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)
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The debate over the playing surface intensifies this summer, as 11 NFL stadiums will host FIFA World Cup games, which are scheduled to be played on grass. Of these 11 venues, six use turf but have been forced to change to comply with FIFA regulations.
Half of the league’s stadiums use turf, although NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell has said that 92% of league players prefer grass. Despite NFL players begging for grass and being told no, stadiums have had no choice but to, as NFLPA chief JC Tretter once said, “roll out the green carpet of grass.”
However, Olsen backed off a bit on the “interesting” conversation.
“When they get injured, they don’t like to play on turf. And when they play on bad turf in the rain, and they play on bad turf in the Northeast and Midwest in the winter, at the end of the season the footing is bad, it’s sloppy and no one can run, the talented guys don’t feel fast, they can’t figure out their shoes, they complain about that too. So I think there’s an element where you don’t will never make everyone happy,” Olsen reluctantly.
The NFL logo is displayed on the field after the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York on December 28, 2025. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
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“If they made a rule that everyone was on turf, people would be outraged. If every field had to be traditional natural turf, I think everyone south of Mason-Dixon would be fine. I think late in the season the Northeast games would be very difficult… Just mother nature. It is what it is.”
