03-30-2023, 04:13 PM
This is always a fascinating discussion because even the data can be misleading and must be evaluated much more thoroughly to make actual decisions. For years FedEx field was undoubtedly the worst stadium for injuries in the league and it was a grass field. The issue with data studies on this subject is the snapshots tend to be limited and therefor lacking accountability for weather variance. Cold weather, rain, snow, and even heat can all impact grass much differently than turf and the associated injuries that can come with it. In the data we have, If I remember correctly, there is no real discussion or consideration for the weather those grass fields were exposed to and the resulting injuries.
If we were playing in a vacuum there is probably a very good chance that grass is better, the reality however is many NFL stadiums are still outside and exposed to weather and not enough studies have been done on the rate of injuries on grass specifically as it relates to weather variance. Many of the stadiums in bad weather areas for instance use artificial turf, which means there is no way we can properly account for what the variance for injuy between synthetic and real grass in these conditions are. Heck we saw in the Super Bowl a grass field being needlessly unsafe as players could not keep their footing as shallow roots cause the field to come apart underneath them.
I think in general both sides of this discussion oversimplify the issue. I think anyone who thinks they actually know the best approach here is frankly just guessing.
If we were playing in a vacuum there is probably a very good chance that grass is better, the reality however is many NFL stadiums are still outside and exposed to weather and not enough studies have been done on the rate of injuries on grass specifically as it relates to weather variance. Many of the stadiums in bad weather areas for instance use artificial turf, which means there is no way we can properly account for what the variance for injuy between synthetic and real grass in these conditions are. Heck we saw in the Super Bowl a grass field being needlessly unsafe as players could not keep their footing as shallow roots cause the field to come apart underneath them.
I think in general both sides of this discussion oversimplify the issue. I think anyone who thinks they actually know the best approach here is frankly just guessing.
