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PHOTO: Dallas Flooding Wrecks SMU’s Football Field, Creates Massive Bubble

As rainfall continues to pummel the Dallas community and neighboring areas, Southern Methodist University’s football field appears on the verge of complete decimation thanks to the weather.

Some areas in North Texas have already received more than ten inches of precipitation. As of 4 PM CDT, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport measured nine inches of rain. The incredible storm creates a path of devastation and unfortunate circumstance.

While communities recover from the exorbitant rainfall, one particular outlet for comfort also struggles to cope with the showers: college football. SMU’s football field at Gerald J. Ford is completely underwater. Well – mostly underwater.

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While SMU’s artificial turf sits underneath a pool of water, a hill seemingly formed in the shape of a football at the 15-yard-line. It even comes complete with hash markers representing laces. Obviously it’s not hardwood flooring underneath the artificial surface, so once the flooding subsides, the turf should only require a minimal fix.

Luckily for the grounds crew at SMU, the team’s home opener does not kick off until September 10 against Lamar University. There’s plenty of time to complete a rain dance and position each blade of artificial turf into its proper place.

Sir Elton John Wreaking Havoc on Fields During American Stadium Tour

Rain isn’t the only factor causing disasters around sports fields in the United States. While the music icon didn’t grace Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, a mix of rain and a raucous concert three weeks ago rendered the home of MLB’s Cleveland Guardians “unplayable” on Sunday.

The Farewell, Yellow Brick Road tour forced the Guardians to resod Progressive Field. However, the rushed effort along with only 0.2 inches of rainfall seemingly created the unsafe environment.

In the distance, you can see standing water on the warning track. Elton John performed on the field on July 30, one week before decimating the turf at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

The home of the Bears hosted the touring musician on August 5 before hosting a preseason affair on August 13. The grass – riddled with divots and with more brown spots than green – caught the eye of NFLPA president JC Tretter. Tretter called out the Bears and NFL for failures to maintain a safe playing environment.

However, City of Chicago’s park district owns, operates and cares for the stadium and its facilities. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears appear more likely to leave the lakefront than take the heat for the city’s misdeeds when it comes to preparing the football stadium for… football.