Fake Grass, Real Impact

 

Football is a brutal sport. It consists of bone crushing tackles, sharp changes of direction, diving for a ball while disregarding the potential for pain, and constantly combating players on competing teams who typically weigh more than 300 pounds. And that's in just a single play! There are countless instances when a player can get injured but, ironically, many injuries occur when a player is attempting to avoid contact or simply just moving in general play.

This is because our bodies, especially our joints, aren't meant to make the complex movements that the sport requires on a regular basis. Add this to the unforgiving natural fake grass surface that you glide across in cleats and you have a recipe for disaster. It only takes one step for your spikes to get caught in an uneven patch of grass and a number of nasty accidents and injuries can occur, such as hyperextended joints, sprained or broken ankles, and torn ligaments. Not only are you playing against your opponent but you are also rolling the dice against potential injury.

Natural grass fields look beautiful in person and on TV, but a close-up of the field itself during gameplay shows another story entirely. The turf is subjected to 22 sets of cleats that continuously dig into it through any given play, along with repeated changes in weather, temperature and humidity. A field can be left unrecognizable after the game, looking more like a baseball diamond than a green, lush football field. An uneven, patchy surface is one of the reasons many players become injured, due to potholes or dirt clods.

When the weather is undesirable, the field is the first to suffer. With a torrential downpour of rain comes a vast collection of small puddles or, in some unfortunate cases, large ponds. Snow can also freeze the soil so that it feels like cement, and extreme heat can dry the grass to the point that it's a little reminiscent of flaky woodchips. Ultimately, this creates an altogether unsafe environment for people to play on.

However, there is a fantastic alternative to organic grass in the form of synthetic turf. It boasts several advantages to the real thing, including the ability to choose the color and height of each blade of grass. No longer will grass look too long, too short or too brown. There is no need for any kind of watering and, because it won't retain water, irritating puddles is a thing of the past.