The NFLPA says injury rates are significantly higher on artificial turf than on grass

[wazu]

A pretty bad look for the NFL. Glad Arrowhead has a grass field. Seems like a big key to our success this past half-decade has been good fortune on the injury front. I can't imagine a team making the conscious decision to opt for the "more injuries" approach.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...grass-in-2022/

Spoiler!

During the 2022 season, ESPN published data supplied by the NFL that purported to show that injury rates on grass and artificial turf were approximately the same. The NFL Players Association says that data was misleading, and that the NFL highlighted one outlier year’s worth of injury rates when the full body of research makes clear that players are injured more often on artificial turf.

According to the NFLPA, the NFL selectively released injury data from 2021 only, and 2021 happened to be an unusual year because injury rates on artificial turf and grass were very similar that year — although even in 2021, players were slightly more likely to be injured on turf. But in every other season besides 2021, the NFLPA says, injury rates were significantly higher on turf.

That includes the 2022 season, when injury rates on turf were as high as ever — and when the NFL didn’t make an effort to get those injury rates published by the media.

NFLPA President J.C. Tretter wrote on the NFLPA’s website that the injury data from the 2022 season makes clear that 2021 was a statistical outlier, and that in every other season for which there is injury data to compare grass and turf, grass has proven significantly safer.

“In short, last year, the gap – much like the NFL’s credibility with players on this issue – was as wide as it has ever been, proving that (as the NFLPA suspected) 2021 was in fact an outlier,” Tretter writes. “Now, 10 of the previous 11 years show the same exact thing — grass is a significantly safer surface than turf.”

Tretter said the players can’t trust the NFL when it would selectively release misleading data on players’ health and safety.

“The credibility the league has with the players on health and safety issues is virtually nonexistent,” Tretter writes. “Instead of following the long-term data (which is clear on this issue), listening to players and making the game safer, the NFL used an outlier year to engage in a PR campaign to convince everyone that the problem doesn’t actually exist.”

The union would prefer that every NFL stadium have a grass field, but it making little progress in convincing the league to take the issue seriously. In fact, this year one more stadium will have a turf field, as the Titans have announced that they’re replacing their grass with an artificial surface.

[displacedinMN]

exception to the rule-Arizona


in other news-water is wet

[htismaqe]

Artificial turf needs to be banned. It's a blight on the sport.

[Chief Pagan]

So is this because the surface is harder when a player lands on it?

Or because the surface provides a better grip for footwear and instead of the foot losing grip a knee blows out?

Or both?

I've always wondered whether on indoor artificial turf fields if you restricted the sort of cleats players could wear, so that at some point their foot would slip instead of their knee blowing out, would that improve player safety?

[Chief Pagan]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Artificial turf needs to be banned. It's a blight on the sport.

And what do you do about indoor stadiums?

[Hydrae]

All good questions. I have no idea. I look forward to the discussion though.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Chief Pagan

And what do you do about indoor stadiums?

Great question but the answer should never be "well, we don't care if more players get injured".

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by Chief Pagan

So is this because the surface is harder when a player lands on it?

Or because the surface provides a better grip for footwear and instead of the foot losing grip a knee blows out?

Or both?

I've always wondered whether on indoor artificial turf fields if you restricted the sort of cleats players could wear, so that at some point their foot would slip instead of their knee blowing out, would that improve player safety?

Both. The harder surface invites more injuries when players fall/land on it, especially when another player is draped over another when they hit the ground, or if player 1 throws player 2 to the ground.

The faster surface doesn't give, so when a player cuts, pretty much all the torque concentrates in the ankle/knee or particularly when a defender grabs a ball-carrier and adds their momentum/weight to those joints, and eventually the soft tissues have to tear.

[O.city]

It's the actual type of turf used I believe they found.

There are different ones that are better.

[wazu]

Originally Posted by Chief Pagan

And what do you do about indoor stadiums?

Probably just grandfather them in. Everybody else needs to make the switch. It would at least greatly reduce the overall number of games being played on artificial turf.

They won't do it though. Titans are in process of replacing grass with turf right now. Guess they felt that they could benefit from having fewer healthy players on game day.

[wazu]

Originally Posted by O.city

It's the actual type of turf used I believe they found.

There are different ones that are better.

Yeah, you'd think they could engineer something that was optimal and even better than grass. Ultimately though grass can tear and rip and it just grows back. Anything artificial has to be tough enough to not do that. Maybe that's just something that can't be overcome.

[BleedingRed]

Well considering Turf varies widely I don't know how to could make that argument.

[ChiefsCountry]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Artificial turf needs to be banned. It's a blight on the sport.

Every high school is going to it.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Every high school is going to it.

Yep. It's much, much cheaper to maintain. And let's face it, HS players getting injured isn't top of mind for most people.

The NFL, and the global stage it occupies, is a whole different ballgame. They can't afford to have their stars sidelined every year due to injuries.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by BleedingRed

Well considering Turf varies widely I don't know how to could make that argument.

I bet the NFLPA is only interested in turf installed at NFL stadiums. I also bet that they paid for a study run by actual professionals.