As technology and innovation continue to catapult forward, National Football League (NFL) teams remain in a critical dilemma concerning the surface on which they play their home games. For decades, many NFL stadiums have experimented and switched from their customary natural grass fields to outdoor artificial grass.
Nevertheless, this decision has not come without its fair share of controversy, with detractors arguing that artificial turf could increase the likelihood of players sustaining injuries.
In this blog post, we delve deeper into why NFL teams tend to prefer artificial turf over natural grass and the potential ramifications this may have on the future of outdoor sports.
A Brief History of Turf in Stadium Fields
In 1966, people saw the first artificial turf field installed in the Houston Astrodome, and the technology has significantly improved. Today, various types of synthetic grass are available, each with unique properties.
Currently, the NFL has 30 stadiums nationwide, with 16 featuring natural grass. And some stadiums have undergone multiple changes from grass to turf and vice versa as they seek the best option for their playing conditions.
Why Teams Prefer and Invest in Turf Renovations
The multitude of benefits that artificial grass offers is a primary reason why NFL teams opt to implement it in their stadiums.
The first benefit is that it requires far less upkeep than natural grass. That means management can shrink their expenditure on landscaping costs and bypass the continuous requirement to replace the grass.
Outdoor athletic turf boasts a somewhat exceptional quality — its predictability. In contrast to natural grass, which can seriously fluctuate in conditions based on inconsistent weather patterns and other factors, the stability of artificial turf provides an unfailing foundation for players. Allowing for a better foot grasp also aids in sports injury prevention.
Finally, the durability of artificial grass eclipses that of its natural counterpart, with the capacity to endure even the most demanding of high-impact sports. That makes it ideal for outdoor sports such as football.
Moreover, its imperviousness to wear and tear allows teams to host a greater volume of events and generate more revenue due to its reduced need for replacement and greater frequency of use.
How Artificial Turf Could Impact the Future of Professional Football
While the apparent advantages of artificial turf may seem ideal, several critics have voiced their concerns regarding its effect on high-impact sports. They contend it’s more prone to inducing injuries than natural grass due to the increased rigidity of the playing surface.
While there have been apprehensions regarding the likelihood of increased injury, the most recent synthetic fields have undergone significant enhancements. They are engineered with a “safety first” methodology that puts player health and security at the forefront.
Claim Your Turf Today!
Artificial Turf Supply offers state-of-the-art sports turf, SportPRO, engineered explicitly with utmost attention to safety and resilience.
This turf boasts quality attributes, including a rubber underlayer, which promotes sports injury prevention by mitigating impact forces and curbing injuries by nearly 40%. It is an optimal preference for high-impact sports like football, rugby, and baseball.
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