Grass Vs Turf.

by Sam Wynn and Brady Taylor,

Summary:

NFL players and fans have been quite vocal over the past season. The topic at hand, playing surfaces. Specifically grass or turf fields. Players historically have had a significantly higher injury rate while playing on turf fields but many stadiums continue to make use of it. The reason as to why it is still used is not singular, but there are several candidate answers.

Maintenance costs and new installation costs are the most obvious answers. A very significant reason for many NFL owners is the inability to feasibly host non-sporting (or other sporting) events on grass. Many stadiums want to maximize revenue throughout the entire year, especially during the NFL offseason, so they turn to concerts and other sporting events.

Former Division 1 and NFL player Nick Kaltmayer stated “…if statistics are showing that grass fields help prolong the playing career of players, I think it makes sense to move away from turf. Because that’s their whole business, the players, you want to protect what’s driving the business in the NFL, which is ultimately the players.” Nick also made note during our interview of the increased wear-and-tear on his body throughout his career while playing/practicing on turf fields.

Although many active and former players are against the use of turf, the chief concern being a shortened career due to injury on the turf, NFL owners are unlikely to make the switch universally without a mandate being put into place.

Our website and podcast on the topic: https://www.siue.edu/~swynn/dstp.html