About

The NFL has had a hot topic throughout the 2022-2023 season. Grass or Turf? A seemingly inconsequential choice that has become an increasingly louder debate amongst fans and players alike. The NFLPA have been advocates for grass fields for years.

Studies examining player injury data find a distinct correlation and increase in player injury when games are held on turf fields. The rates of injury to lower extremities were noticably higher, specifically in non-contact actions. The data favors the use of grass fields, so why do stadiums continue to use turf?

One answer is maintenance costs, it can be cheaper in the long term to use turf. Another is difficulty of cultivating a healthy field in harsher climates such as freezing cold Green Bay, Wisconsin (The Packers do maintain a grass field however!).

A major logistical issue is many stadiums are home to a multitude of events such as concerts and other sports. This leads to a massive amount of foot traffic on the playing surface, leaving it unfit for NFL games. A final potential answer to offer is sunken cost. Stadiums that already have turf installed would be forced to tear up the existing structure and plant a new grass field. The cost/time of this operation could be quite unappealing to NFL team owners.