Since 2020, 16 NFL players have suffered season ending lower body injuries at MetLife Field in New York. Some notable players who fell victim to this include stars like Malik Nabers, Aaron Rodgers, and Nick Bosa. MetLife field is one of many artificial (synthetic) turf fields, which yield a higher rate of season ending injuries compared to natural grass fields. Therefore, pro teams as well as high schools should transition to natural grass fields to protect their athletes.
According to the National Center for Health Research, “In many cases, injury rates are greater on artificial turf. Injuries are not the only risks associated with artificial turf. There are also concerns regarding the chemicals that can be found in artificial turf infill.” In addition, PCL injuries are three times more common, ACL injuries are 1.6 times more common, and ankle fractures are six times as likely on synthetic turf compared to natural grass.
This is no coincidence. The difference between natural grass and synthetic turf injury rates are too staggering to ignore. Artificial turf poses a risk to athletes of many sports including football.
According to the University of Illinois, there are many benefits and weaknesses of synthetic turf. Including how turf often requires less maintenance and horticulture knowledge compared to natural grass fields. However, turf is often stiffer, hindering athletes mobility, causing joints to stick and lead to season-ending injuries.
However, it is important to also look at another common type of injury. Concussions are a major problem that sports leagues at the pro and school level are working to address. The University of Illinois also mentions how turf is often thinner and can be more abrasive than natural grass, leaving athletes susceptible to more head injuries.
The point is, that there are too many trends and signs pointing towards the negative effects on player health. And at the end of the day, player health is much more integral than saving money by switching to synthetic turf.
It is notable that our HHS recently revamped their Soccer turf over the past summer as a part of a summer renovation project. The field does look fresh and vibrant. However, there was already an achilles injury that a HHS soccer player suffered this season. Although it cannot be directly correlated to the artificial turf, the turf could be a possibility of injury.
Teams and schools should attempt to make the transition to natural grass, not only because of how sports were traditionally meant to be played, but by putting the players first.
