An article recently published by TPI Turf News discusses the dangers of artificial turf playing fields. It specifically looked at the increase in lower extremity injuries occurring at MetLife Stadium where both the Giants and the Jets play in New York.
Since the stadium opened in 2010, there has been a significant increase in player injuries resulting from the artificial playing surface. Data provided by the National Football League Players Association supports claims that turf fields result in more player injuries than natural grass fields. In fact, there’s a 28 percent higher injury rate on turf fields compared to natural grass. An alarming figure!
Players, including Logan Ryan, are speaking out against these surfaces, and are letting the NFL know it’s time to replace these fields with natural grass. “We’ve really got to talk about these turf fields, man…The discrepancy is way too high and it’s taking guys earnings away, their earning ability away, when you miss a season because your ankle or your knee can’t get out of the turf,” says Ryan.
A big difference in artificial turf compared to natural grass is that grass “has the ability to move a little bit more than turf” and so players aren’t getting ‘stuck in the turf’ as Ryan noted, which causes injuries like sprained ankles, torn ACLs and many more.
Currently, there are 17 NFL artificial turf fields that remain, and no big moves from the NFL to remove them.
The article, written by Dan Benton, journalist and member of the Pro Football Writers of America is entitled: Giants’ Logan Ryan: NFL Needs to do Away with Turf Fields.