Insufferable Injuries

Recently there have been many debates on why the NFL is seeing so many injuries and the main point people are bringing up is that turf and artificial grass fields are more dangerous than real grass, but is this true?

According to data from the National Football League Players Association turf fields appear to be causing more noncontact injuries as opposed to real grass “Data provided by the National Football League Players Association showed that during the 2022 NFL season, players suffered more non-direct contact injuries on turf than natural grass.” Additionally, statistics from the past have played a crucial part in the debate. As indicated by the NFLPA. “The association reviewed past data and found that 10 of the previous 11 years showed that the injury rate on synthetic versus natural surfaces was considerably higher.” Junior runningback and linebacker Grant Gammell agrees that grass is a safer option “I think grass is safer because the grass can tear away instead of turf where it just keeps your foot stuck in the ground.” 

In addition to the statistics, many NFL players have weighed in their opinions on the topic. Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes is an advocate for grass fields. In an interview with USA Today Mahomes is quoted saying “I mean, I think it’s pretty simple the numbers say that grass is healthier for the players and I want to play on the best surface that will keep me healthy”. Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain in the Super Bowl LVII but the playing surface did not seem to be the cause. Super Bowl LVII was played in Glendale Arizona at State Farm Stadium which has a grass field and this goes against what Mahomes and others are saying. 

Furthermore, Senior running back and linebacker Nile Eddy has suffered injuries on both surfaces and believes that it doesn’t affect the chance of injuries “I have torn ligaments in my knees playing on both turf and grass, so it makes no difference in my eyes.” Eddy also sees the difference in size between a high school athlete and a professional athlete. “I think it’s a lot bigger problem when it comes to college and NFL-level football because those bigger athletes produce so much more force and while grass will give out from underneath you, turf won’t, leaving knees and ankles in danger.”

Moreover, Sophomore Tight end Evan Jacobson has the same opinion as Gammell and Eddy. “I believe grass fields are a safer and better choice for athletes. I believe this because it puts less stress on your knees and is safer for athletes. In football there is always the risk of being injured, but if you play the game the right way it should all end up safe.” 

Ultimately all three of the players interviewed for this article have stated the same point of view that turf fields have a higher risk of injuries due to it not tearing away as grass would resulting in knee injuries being more common. Will all football stadium owners turn to natural grass? Only time will tell.