NFL Implements 'Boise Rule' to Ensure All Fields Are Green

NFL Implements ‘Boise Rule’ to Ensure All Fields Are Green

by Jeff Howe on Tue, Mar 22, 2011 at 2:15PM

The NFL implemented a strange rule Tuesday, but the league’s willingness to be proactive was actually pretty smart.

Every stadium’s field must be a league-approved shade of green, so teams can’t install Boise State’s blue field or Eastern Washington’s red turf. It will save the fans from an eyesore, but the league’s other intentions made a lot of sense.

This will prevent advertisers from trying to get teams to paint the field in the future. It might sound like a crazy idea now, but would a money-hungry franchise turn down $20 million from UPS to paint the field brown?

Marketing agencies are paid to be creative, so the NFL must have known something like this could be on the horizon. Implementing the “Boise Rule” will make sure this never happens.

Other rule changes from Tuesday:

Kickoffs moved to the 35-yard line
All scoring plays subject to replay review