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A group of researchers has looked into whether or not more injuries actually occur on turf fields versus grass fields and the evidence is quite compelling, especially as far as NFL fans and players are concerned.
According to a recent study published in the National Library of Medicine, there is a “higher rate of foot and ankle injuries on artificial turf” compared to natural grass.
The researchers looked at 53 articles on the topic that were published between 1972 and 2020, on injuries in both professional and amateur sports, including football, soccer, rugby, field hockey, and ultimate Frisbee.
Similar findings were reported in a separate study that analyzed 4,801 NFL foot and leg injuries during 2012-2016 regular season games. That research found 16% more injuries per play on artificial turf compared to grass.
The authors concluded that if all games had been played on grass during that period there would have been 319 fewer foot and leg injuries. Looking only at non-contact injuries the risk was even higher, about 20% more injuries per play. [via AP News]
While the debate about whether the NFL should be playing on turf or grass fields has been going on for years, the conversation has become louder than ever following the freak Achilles injury that Aaron Rodgers suffered against the Buffalo Bills in his first-ever game for the New York Jets.
In his Jets debut, Rodgers played just four snaps before tearing his Achilles. Video of the injury appears to show his cleat getting awkwardly stuck in the turf the moment his Achilles appears to tear.
Then, over the weekend, the debate arose once again after Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce appeared to go down with a similar injury while playing on the US Bank Stadium turf in Minnesota. Luckily, Kelce appeared to avoid serious injury and was able to return to the game.
Given the seemingly increasing outcry from NFL players to make the league-wide switch to turf, it’ll be interesting to see if the owners actually consider their requests during the offseason.