Howdy folks! I have some exciting news (for me, at least). I’m taking off next week! By the time you’re reading this, I’ll have forgotten the concept of newsletter ever existed.
That means, for you, no FOIAball next week. Sort of. I do have one little thing scheduled to send while I’m gone.
As for today, like any good corporate stooge, I’m already on island time, just trying to make it to the end of the day without anything blowing up in my face. But the guy in charge of me (me) keeps telling me I gotta write something.
So to guarantee a lack of headaches upon my return, I’m covering the most anodyne topic possible, something quite literally synonymous with dying of boredom.
Let’s talk about growing grass.
But first, since I’m off next week, I went ahead and unlocked yesterday’s post about independent LLCs. As with all my paywalled articles, it’s really good. And I want people to read them! So go do that first!
What did Texas A&M pay to add a lil’ sod to Kyle Field?
Lionel Messi and Argentina are on the cusp of capping one of the most incredible World Cup runs ever. If they defeat Spain on Sunday, they’ll be the first back-to-back champions since Brazil in 1962.
They’ll have done it in the most thrilling fashion possible, with every single knockout game featuring last-minute heroics. And they’ll have college football to thank for getting them started on the right foot.
La Albiceleste’s North American rampage began with a pair of friendlies in SEC country. The team took on Honduras in College Station before a crowd of 91,000 at Kyle Field, then squared off against Iceland in Auburn.
Jordan-Hare Stadium is where, you might recall, a certain viral sensation kicked off his online infamy. No comment!
But hosting soccer’s biggest draw isn’t cheap. Especially when it comes to getting the grass right.
One of the biggest headaches for FIFA in picking America to host most of the 2026 World Cup was our love of fake products. While visiting fans (supposedly) adored our processed diet, the sport’s organizing body objected to our football stadiums’ use of artificial turf.
Soccer’s biggest event must be played on real grass. And that grass must be pristine.
FIFA enlisted two different universities, Tennessee and Michigan State, to research the proper grass for the tournament’s various locales, from semi-arid Los Angeles to brutally humid Miami. All told, they paid over $3 million for the project.
But that was just to grow a bunch of samples and test for strength and durability.
Seven U.S. stadiums had to replace their artificial surfaces entirely. Unfortunately, despite those places being subsidized with taxpayer money, they’re owned by private companies that aren’t subject to public records laws.
Which brings us back to Argentina’s friendly at Kyle Field.
A thing I learned watching this World Cup, seeing how small the players looked on TV, is that a soccer field is a lot bigger than a football field.
According to the turf team at Texas A&M, they needed to increase the square footage of their football field by 30%, adding sod to a track that ran along the outer edge of the stadium.
That wasn’t the only work the university had to undertake.
The school also had to resod half of the playing surface because, a month before the friendly, the Savannah Bananas came to town.
The contract FOIAball obtained didn’t mention the half-field reinstallation (and I hope the Bananas footed that). For just the ring around the stadium track, the school paid Precision Turf (which handled four other World Cup stadiums) $224,780.
You can watch the resodding here.
Sure, that’s a lot. A quarter-million dollars almost. But it's money the school probably made right back. Can’t say for certain, though! I obtained the contract the university had with the events company that put on the game, but the revenue-sharing splits were redacted.
Still, tickets to the game averaged about $80. At 91,000 sold, that’s $7.3 million on just the gate alone.
I did learn one other thing from the agreement, a revealing aside that shows how much the school cares about football.
Argentina is about to be cemented as the greatest national team ever, but there’s one thing they’ll never get to have. The contract stipulated access to team facilities, like the weight room and sports medicine center. But no one was allowed to use the Jackie Sherrill Lettermen’s Club, which was already in use for a recruiting event.
At Texas A&M, even Lionel Messi takes a backseat to a 17-year-old, three-star defensive lineman.
Honestly… respect.
I’ll see you in two weeks! Sort of, keep your eyes peeled for an email!
And if you’ve been enjoying FOIAball, make my day by upgrading. I try to do my best every week to make your Wednesdays and Thursdays as fun as possible.
I’d love to be surprised with some new paid subscribers when I come back. That could—no, that should—be you!
Lionel Messi via Tim Warner / Stringer / Getty Images
