Athletes are Debating Whether They Should Play on Turf or on Grass
By Khayri Nasir-Dennis & Teon Smith
November 20, 2023
On September 11, 2023, Aaron Rodgers suffered a season ending injury against the Buffalo Bills. Following the injury athletes started to refuse to play on turf and prefer to play on grass to prevent injuries. Which sparks the concerns of playing on turf and its safety.
Athletes play on all sorts of surfaces throughout their lives. The two of the most popular are grass and artificial turf. There are differences to each that a player should be aware of before using them.
“8/10 grass is better than 10/10 turf and turf is rough. The safety of it is not as good as grass because turf feels like concrete and turf burns your skin unlike grass” Christopher Jermiri, E&S soccer player said.
Turf and grass are two different types of fields that soccer players, football players, etc play on. Field turf doesn't grow so is consistently predictable. If you're playing a sport like soccer it will be much different on field turf than a grass field.
“I feel like turf beats bad grass, but great grass beats turf. If the grass is uneven and not consistent, it's wet but the issue is that it is harder and more rough which causes the fall to be slightly more painful” - Statement by Ramadhany Jalil, an E&S varsity soccer player.
The ball will move at a quicker pace on turf and will bounce higher off the ground than the more soft, cushioned grass. It’ll also be hotter than a natural turf due to the installation of rubber underneath the turf. Some more pros of Artificial turf are that they are nearly maintenance free. No watering, mowing, or lawn maintenance.
“The technical reason on why grass is better than turf is because turf can cause injury due to human error when creating the field, so it's much safer to play on good grass that doesn't have any hills. So basically 10/10 grass> 10/10 turf 7/10 turf > 7/10 grass just helps avoid non contact injuries.” Rayane Naciri, E&S varsity soccer play said.
The ground also feels different on playing turf compared to grass. It can be a harder surface making it bumpier as a player runs on it. Another significant aspect of playing on these surfaces is that they can get wet. Playing on a soaking grass field can be fun to some players, but it can also result in the field being torn up and in need of maintenance after using it. Field turf is nice in the sense that people can play on it without having to worry about messing up the field. One of E&S varsity players, Savier Torres shares his personal preference playing on turf and grass.
“I personally think it's better than the grass that we play on but if the grass is good then i’d rather play on grass” Statement by Savier Torres, E&S varsity soccer player.
Now natural grass is much different. When it comes to kicking a ball or any sport, the length of the grass matters, a well maintained field with grass is going to play better than longer grass, meaning the ball is going to roll through it more easily. We asked Kimanie Landin, E&S soccer player how he feels about playing on turf compared to grass.
"I think grass is better because as a goalie, when diving on the ground to block a kick it doesn't hurt as much as turf does."
Plenty of sports use grass fields to play on. If the grass is long and unkempt then the pace of the game is significantly impacted. A person's footwork will be slowed, passes will be inaccurate, and generally the game as a whole suffers. However, a maintained grass field offers a great space to play. The ground is very easy, allowing a player to move freely to receive a pass, get into position, etc. Grass is also great for warm weather as the soil helps to contain extreme heat.
"My personal opinion, I'd prefer to play on turf, but grass fields play lighter and turf you can get non contact injuries. I'd rather play on great grass then turf, but overall turf is better than grass." E&S soccer player Mohammed Fadl said.
n conclusion, it is very clear that athletes will play on all sorts of terrain in their lifetime, turf and grass being a likely one of them. The conditions of both are greatly impacted by the environment around them. All things considered, both have their pros and cons.
Grass is clearly better than turf in terms of texture and traction. But turf is a great substitution to grass and there are ways to help ignore the disadvantages of turf.