10/13/2020

We might be a little biased, but we’ve been saying for years that the games are better on grass.

European soccer athletes would agree, and they regularly refuse to play on artificial turf. But the issue extends to other sports too, like football, where the players already take a heavy beating purely due to the nature of the game. Throw in an acre of unforgiving artificial turf, and you’ve got a recipe for more injuries.

After the seemingly weaponized artificial turf at MetLife stadium resulted in a handful of injuries, the NFL Players Association President, and my new favorite player, published this letter in which he asks on behalf of the NFLPA that all artificial surfaces be replaced with natural grass surfaces! He cites the NFLPA’s own research that shows about a 16% increase in lower body injury on artificial turf.

This development makes me hopeful that an emphasis will once again be placed on maintaining quality grass fields rather than spending capital money to replace them with artificial turf. Stay tuned—I’m sure this is just the beginning.