Brendan questions the safety of Turf Fields for Players,
citing Aaron Rodgers season ending injury
Players and fans alike have voiced their dislike to the turf that the NFL uses. Throughout the span of three weeks, players have been getting injured left and right due to the turf. As of now, there are approximately 300 injured players. The NFL has put in place over the natural grass field. The NFL is only 3 weeks into the regular season, and the abundance in injuries is staggering. A lot of players have been outraged especially after veteran QB for the New York Jets Aaron Rodgers suffered his season ending achilles tendon tear.
On September 11th, the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills made their debuts against each other. The Jets had so much hype surrounding the team after signing 4x MVP veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Jets offense was believed to be elite after signing other players from the Green Bay Packers very familiar with Rodgers like Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard. The game took place in Metlife Stadium and fans could not wait to finally make their presence known in the AFC East. However to their dismay, after being tackled by Leonard Floyd, Aaron Rodgers tore his achilles tendon. This caused heartbreak among fans and viewers alike as it had seemed the flame the Jets had to start the season had been swiftly put out. However, backup quarterback Zach Wilson led the charge and emerged triumphant over the Bills 22-16.
Despite this win, viewers were left wondering if Rodgers would have suffered this injury had the field been natural grass instead of artificial turf. In a survey, conducted by NFLPA, regarding the use of turf vs. natural grass, nearly 93% of players listed artificial turf as an impediment to their careers, while 91% stated it made them feel more fatigued and sore.
It has been made clear by the players in the NFL that turf is a nuisance and hindering their abilities to perform. With this being said, why does the NFL push for artificial turf when the statistics point out that the turf is suboptimal? It is speculated that it is much cheaper to have the turf in place of the natural grass, because of its ease of maintenance, which, if this is the case, than it is disappointing to see players getting hurt because of the price it costs to grow the natural fields.