News Archive
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| Pass On The Grass March 31 2002 By Bryan Hersh of 49ers Paradise In what seems to be a common misconception about football, I've come to a belief that natural grass causes more injuries than the artificial turf found in other stadiums. Now I know this sounds odd at first, and I personally like football on grass better, generally because it brings the elements of nature more into play. I've always thought that artificial turf was a big factor in the injury of players - turns out I was wrong. I did my research and found that proportionality, more football players at the collegiate and pro level are injured when playing on grass then on turf. I couldn't really come up with a good explanation as to why the turf brings fewer injuries - afterall it's like playing on concrete covered by a thin level of carpet, and then it occurred to me. The reason there are more injuries on grass, is for the same reason that I enjoy watching football more on grass. The elements of nature - snow, ice and mud bring more injuries. There's no doubt about that. And with turf stadiums being for the most part indoor, these elements are removed, and when the turf is outdoors, it does not experience the same where and tear that that the natural stuff does.
So perhaps the results of the turf to grass comparison are slightly skewed. Still it's hard to argue with numbers. I'd love to see the NFL out-law turf, but for that to happen we can't argue injuries - there's no doubt about that. Football is a better game when the elements of nature are factors. And while these elements may bring more injuries, it certainly isn't the cushiony grass that does it. The NFL would be a better game - injuries or not - if it was played on grass.
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