How much better is today's artificial turf than yesteryear's astroturf?

[Reverend Conehead]

I remember how bad the quality of astroturf used to be. It was basically green outdoor carpet. It looked like patio furniture should be sitting on it. It caused a lot of knee and ankle injuries, and natural grass was totally superior from a standpoint of player safety. Today's artificial turf was designed to be more like natural grass by being softer and having more give with those little rubber pellets. Does anyone know if it would be fair to say that today's artificial turf is as safe as grass? Even better maybe? You don't get all that many articles about this new kind of turf like you used to get all the time with astroturf.

 

[aikemirv]

Concrete base versus rubber granular base......I think that says it all!

 

[Typhus]

Dangity,, even the fishings slow......

 

[John813]

FieldTurf and similar next-gen surfaces employ rubber pellets, sand and other materials to soften the field and make its response more grass-like.

Still, players overwhelmingly prefer natural grass. In the last survey performed by the NFLPA, in 2010, 69.4 percent of NFL players said they preferred natural grass to any form of synthetic surface. In a survey released by the NFL in 2012 and measuring games played from 2000 to ’09, knee and ankle sprains were shown to be 22 percent more common on FieldTurf than on grass and ACL sprains 67 percent more common. (McNitt, however, points out that lower-extremity injuries are not so simply assigned to the playing surface. “It’s the surface and the shoe,” says McNitt. “Footwear companies are making much, much more aggressive shoes.” On occasion the shoe will stick, and the knee or ankle or hip will move, often with catastrophic results).

https://www.si.com/nfl/2014/05/21/nfl-history-95-objects-artificial-turf

 

[cowboyed]

Natural grass is the best and you can grow Pig Squeak at mid-field.

 

[OmerV]

I remember how bad the quality of astroturf used to be. It was basically green outdoor carpet. It looked like patio furniture should be sitting on it. It caused a lot of knee and ankle injuries, and natural grass was totally superior from a standpoint of player safety. Today's artificial turf was designed to be more like natural grass by being softer and having more give with those little rubber pellets. Does anyone know if it would be fair to say that today's artificial turf is as safe as grass? Even better maybe? You don't get all that many articles about this new kind of turf like you used to get all the time with astroturf.

I can't claim to answer that from experience because I've never played on today's turf, but I think grass is still safer because if a cleat sticks grass can still give way, maybe digging up roots and taking a chunk of sod with it, and that won't happen with turf. Of course, that can cause a problem too, but less likely to hyperextend a knee than on a surface with no give.

 

[Howboutdemcowboys31]

The artificial still hurts. I’m in a flag football league at U Penn. You fall you’re getting a huge scratch from it. Grass is the best

 

[tyke1doe]

Comparing today's artificial turf with astro turf? It's not even a comparison. Careers were shorten (I'm convinced Earl Campbell is limping around like he is because of playing on Astroturf) and skin was displaced playing on Astroturf because that stuff was hard as concrete, and if you slid on it, you would rip off all of your skin. The new turf is much softer. The only problem is because it's made of rubber pellets, it gets EXTREMELY hot on hot days, and those pellets can get everywhere - in your shoes, in your eyes, in your ears, etc.

If the comparison is today's turf vs. natural grass, it's no comparison either. Natural grass. The only upside to turf is you can maintain it better, and it doesn't get soggy and muddy when it rains.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I remember how bad the quality of astroturf used to be. It was basically green outdoor carpet.

It was concrete painted green. Awful stuff!

 

[Tabascocat]

I played in a few baseball games in the Astrodome back in the day and it was rough. Tons of bad bounces off the seams and rockets off the bat to the hot corner. It was bad on the knees for sure. I couldn’t imagine getting tackled on that stuff too.

 

[OmerV]

I played in a few baseball games in the Astrodome back in the day and it was rough. Tons of bad bounces off the seams and rockets off the bat to the hot corner. It was bad on the knees for sure. I couldn’t imagine getting tackled on that stuff too.

First MLB game I ever saw was in the dome, and I was shocked at how pronounced the seams were. Part of the benefit was supposed to be no bad hops, but a ball or two hit the seam and shot off course.

 

[joseephuss]

Today's grass is better than grass from the past.(insert marijuana jokes here).

The money and care put into natural grass fields in today's stadiums are way more sophisticated and better than in the past in most cases. John Madden used to say "I miss mud". Well, mud came from poorly maintained and overused fields. In the past eras, some natural grass fields provided uneven surfaces and unreliable footing for players.

Today's fake turf is far better than the turf of yesteryear. A good grass field is better, but the new fake stuff, when well maintained is quality.

 

[Risen Star]

I would think significant difference.

 

[Toomany10pins]

Light years difference.

I played HS football back in the dinosaur days, mid 1980’s.
We had brand new Astroturf installed in our stadium, they were bragging at how it had double the padding the AstroTurf in the Kingdome.

Stupid football coaches forgot to tell us to wear elbow pads before the first practice.
Everyone had rug burns on their elbows after first practice. Plus you felt it in your knee joints the next day.

Had one day of practice a week at the stadium plus games.

Fast forward to today’s Field Turf and like brands. My nephew is a a senior in highschool. He’s played most of his sports in highschool on field turf. He’s
Played Football, Baseball, soccer, on Field Turf and never had a rug burn, never any knee joint issues.

 

[Toomany10pins]

Today's grass is better than grass from the past.(insert marijuana jokes here).

The money and care put into natural grass fields in today's stadiums are way more sophisticated and better than in the past in most cases. John Madden used to say "I miss mud". Well, mud came from poorly maintained and overused fields. In the past eras, some natural grass fields provided uneven surfaces and unreliable footing for players.

Today's fake turf is far better than the turf of yesteryear. A good grass field is better, but the new fake stuff, when well maintained is quality.

A well maintained grass field yes, I’ve turned ankles on bad poorly maintained grass fields.

 

[nightrain]

The turf field I had installed at one of my school facilities had a shock test that came in lower than a traditional grass field. Had a special matting, designed to reduce concussion injuries, rolled out under the turf that improved the impact forces dramatically.

Couldn't keep grass with amount of use our fields get.

The issues that still prevail with turf are rug burns and overheating in hot weather. That aside, that turf field was installed 5 years ago, gets the crap played out of it and it looks and plays like brand new.

 

[LowTech]

I hurt just thinking about it. It was the day after when you really felt it.