Real grass vs turf

[beware_d-ware]

Artificial turf consistently tears more knees and breaks more ankles than grass does. It's not even questionable.

The NFL is a $17 billion league ultimately being driven by the guys on the field. Keeping their ACLs intact is just good for business. I have no idea why teams allow turf in their stadiums to get in the way of that.

 

[Jake]

Owners don't get these massive dome stadiums just to host 10 football games a year. They want to host a lot of other events. Trying to manage a grass field along with that would be a lot harder than just rolling out the rug.

Players are just temporary commodities - they come and go. Sounds harsh, but that's the situation. At least modern turf fields are better than the thin rugs they originally had.

 

[StarOfGlory]

I always preferred to play on a well-kept grass field. But back when I played the turf was not very good, not like today.

 

[TheHerd]

Modern field turf is much softer and more comfortable. You also don’t get the wide variably that you do with grass fields.

Playing a cold weather game on a field whose grass is going dormant is not fun. It doesn’t feel much better than being tackled on astroturf.

I agree. Having played in New Hampshire, the last third of the year was basically like playing in the parking lot.

 

[cmoney23]

Just for something different. Many stadiums have gone with the fake over concrete (Cowboys included). A few still have real turf. Head injuries and others injuries are something I am considering. Is there something to my thought? Doubtful many will reply. Not a Dak Zeke thread. Fake is better on knees and ankles and better from my understanding for fast players. How about when player's heads bounce off the fake turf. Just curious about opinions from the smart posters.

Read this:
https://globalsportmatters.com/heal...ty-of-athletes-which-playing-surface-is-best/
and this:
https://nflpa.com/posts/only-natural-grass-can-level-the-nfls-playing-field
maybe this too:
https://www.newscientist.com/articl...igher-risk-of-concussion-on-artificial-grass/

 

[Sydla]

Just for something different. Many stadiums have gone with the fake over concrete (Cowboys included). A few still have real turf. Head injuries and others injuries are something I am considering. Is there something to my thought? Doubtful many will reply. Not a Dak Zeke thread. Fake is better on knees and ankles and better from my understanding for fast players. How about when player's heads bounce off the fake turf. Just curious about opinions from the smart posters.

Not sure that's true about fake turf being better on knees and ankles. The NFLPA has been lobbying for grass over Field Turf, in part, because they claim it causes more injuries than grass.

 

[thunderpimp91]

All the data shows that natural grass has fewer of the non contact injuries that seem to be on the rise every year. The issue is not every stadium keeps their grass in perfect conditions. Chicago and SF have had tons of issues keeping their fields in good condition. I don't know the answer to why, but i'm assuming these bigger market teams that look to their stadiums to bring in revenue regularly from other events like concerts are going to keep the turf around. I can't imagine Jerry putting a grass field in that stadium to hold a basketball game on Monday, concert on Friday, college game on Saturday and play a home game on Sunday.

 

[conner01]

Modern turf is softer than real grass would be, easier to maintain and probably less expensive in the long term
Some fields are used multiple times a week and real grass would be tough to maintain

 

[Creeper]

Hasn't there been a lot of criticism about the Giants turf? I thought I read some player complained it was too sticky and could cause a lot of leg injuries. So maybe it depends on the actual installation and type of artificial turf. I am not an expert. Our field in high school was always mud and grass except in the summer it was a dust bowl. I hated it in either condition.

 

[zrinkill]

Both have their advantages and both have their disadvantages.

Personally I don't care either way

 

[RonnieT24]

Hasn't there been a lot of criticism about the Giants turf? I thought I read some player complained it was too sticky and could cause a lot of leg injuries. So maybe it depends on the actual installation and type of artificial turf. I am not an expert. Our field in high school was always mud and grass except in the summer it was a dust bowl. I hated it in either condition.

I think 3 or 4 guys blew out ACLs in that Giants stadium last season, including Barkley if I'm not mistaken. It was pretty sticky. I think they addressed that at some point and it's not so bad now..

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

You forgot to take your pills...

I am quoite healthy, thank yoiu. Healthier than your avatar's mates.
Oh, the 90s called and they have your Wilson Phillps mix tapes ready.

 

[Hennessy_King]

The problem is leg injuries with turf. grass and dirt will give more than turf does. hence players blowing out their knees on non contact plays. The stat is pretty crazy when they compare knee injuries between turf and grass fields. It's not close. The NFL does not care about player safety if they don't move to grass. They are making Billions on billions every year. They can spend the money for grass and the ppl to maintain it. They are being cheap. Yes including jerry

 

[ICP]

I think all stadiums should be natural grass and it should be NFL policy that if it's a dome it should be open unless the weather is extremely bad. Actually forget that, the dome should be open unless there's lightening or it's the Super Bowl. Let them play like they used to

 

[CowboysExchange]

All I know is we couldn't win a playoff game on grass if we were 21 point favorites

 

[Rockport]

Just for something different. Many stadiums have gone with the fake over concrete (Cowboys included). A few still have real turf. Head injuries and others injuries are something I am considering. Is there something to my thought? Doubtful many will reply. Not a Dak Zeke thread. Fake is better on knees and ankles and better from my understanding for fast players. How about when player's heads bounce off the fake turf. Just curious about opinions from the smart posters.

The new turfs are much different than when they first came out. Very soft and springy. It’s still turf but not near as bad as before.

 

[Amarillofan82]

Grass all the way. If not, then let's just go with trampoline fields; who doesn't want to see a 20 foot high catch when your teammate boosts your jump up with a perfectly timed boost.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

We used field turf (rubber pellets/sand mix) back in high school and I can confirm it's much easier to fall on. Cleets had a tendency to get hung up occasionally, but this was nearly 20 years ago. I'm sure it's come a long way since then, and even then it was only a minor inconvenience, for the most part.

Well kept grass is great, but far too inconsistent, even at the pro level. I always preferred playing on grass, but only because it added different elements and senses to the game. The grit of dirt and mud on your hands and face. The smell of grass as you're pulling it out of your helmet. The stains on your uniform, adding a sort of primal element to the game. Even playing through mud on those extra rainy days, heightening the sense of that grind and adding to the feeling of victory after a hard fight. Pure bliss, imho.

That said, modern NFL is a massive cash cow and it makes sense for the owners to want to protect their investments. A few have held out and stuck with the fundamental spirit of the game, but it's hard to blame those that have made the switch.

You are a poet at heart, mash chap.

 

[csirl]

Have some of the artificial surfaces become less realistic in recent years?

I remember being on one of the early field turf fields 20 years ago. Was very realistic. If you pulled up one of the blades of plastic grass they were quite long - the fake rubber soil was deep.

Any I"ve been on in recent years seem to have shorter blades and less depth of the rubber soil. My kids school has a new one that is supposed to be the highest grade of field turf possible (donated by a rich past pupil), but its not as "real" as some of the older versions.

 

[Flamma]

Just for something different. Many stadiums have gone with the fake over concrete (Cowboys included). A few still have real turf. Head injuries and others injuries are something I am considering. Is there something to my thought? Doubtful many will reply. Not a Dak Zeke thread. Fake is better on knees and ankles and better from my understanding for fast players. How about when player's heads bounce off the fake turf. Just curious about opinions from the smart posters.

I think grass is better for less leg injuries. But at the same time, if it's really cold, the grass field has to be pretty frozen over and hard to land on.

I've only been on the old artificial turf. The first turf they put in Giants stadium, and nothing is harder than that. That had to be a nightmare to play on. I haven't been on the new version.

As far as I know it's split evenly throughout the league with half having grass, and the other half artificial turf.