League Debates Grass Vs. Turf As Chargers’ Mike Williams Becomes Latest Player To Tear ACL

Topline

After a likely season-ending Achilles tear for Aaron Rogers and dramatic injuries to Trevon Diggs, Nick Chubb and Mike Williams, a debate that pits players against the league has been reignited as the former argues for natural surfaces that are “simply safer than artificial turf,” and NFL officials say switching from fake grass to real isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Timeline

Surprising Fact

Of this year’s eight major leg injuries so far, half have occurred on a turf field. Diggs’ ACL tear happened on the Cowboys’ grass practice field and Dobbins was hurt at M&T Bank Stadium, which uses Bermuda grass. Conklin was hurt on the Kentucky bluegrass field at FirstEnergy Stadium and Sterns was injured on Allegiant Stadium grass in Las Vegas.

Key Background

The argument over whether fields should be made of natural or artificial materials is not a new one, but the spate of recent injuries has brought it back to the public consciousness. There are 15 stadiums (serving 17 teams) in the NFL that use artificial grass for their fields and 15 that use turf. The NFL Players Association has argued for a full switch to natural grass surfaces over artificial turf fields for years, and Rodgers advocated for the move to be league-wide last fall before he tore his Achilles. Artificial surfaces are softer and allow for “more wobble” when feet hit the ground, he said, leading to more extreme non-contact injuries. The union renewed its call for the change again after Rodgers’ injury and called it “the easiest decision the NFL can make.” NBC News on Sunday reported that of the 10 stadiums with the highest injury counts between 2017 and 2022, seven of them had artificial surfaces. Sports Info Solutions, a sports analytics company, told NBC that players were also more likely to suffer injuries that forced them to leave a game when on synthetic turf.

Contra

The NFL has argued that artificial turf fields exist for a reason and that the dangers are equal. Jeff Miller, NFL executive vice president, has said the league is focused on cutting down on the number of injuries regardless of playing surface, and the type of field is left mostly up to NFL owners with control of their home stadiums. Grass fields are more expensive to maintain that turf on the whole, and they must be well kept and of high-quality grass, which can struggle in colder parts of the country in the winter months, CBS reported. The Tennessee Titans have said they switched to turf simply because the natural grass was impossible to keep up.

Big Number

$118 million. That’s how much the players out for the season due to Achilies tears or leg injuries will make this year combined.

Tangent

The nature of American football as a full-contact game has led to criticism and scrutiny, especially when it comes to damaging hits. The most common injuries in football are strains and sprains, which happen in both contact and non-contact settings, along with dislocations, fractures and concussions. The NFL reports 213 players got concussions in regular or pre-season games last year, up from 187 in 2021 and 172 in 2020. There were no pre-season games in 2020. The league has been heavily scrutinized as an increasing number of players are diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) from major hits, which leads to debilitating symptoms including mental health changes and death. Damar Hamlin, a Buffalo Bills safety, went into cardiac arrest following a tackle last year. He has since recovered and is cleared to play again.

Further Reading

Swifties Take NFL: Ratings Soared For Chiefs Game As Taylor Swift Cheered On Travis Kelce (Forbes)

NFL Eyeing Expansion Of International Play—Here’s Where Scouts Are Looking To Go Next (Forbes)

Usher Will Headline The 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show (Forbes)

Steelers Plane Makes Emergency Landing In Kansas City After Engine Troubles (Forbes)