“92% of NFL players want grass fields over turf,” according to the NFL players association. But do students agree?
Back in 2013 Bethesda Soccer Club received a $1 million grant from the US soccer foundation. Along with $200,000 raised from the Booster Club, a $1.2 million artificial turf field was installed in the stadium. A stark contrast from the previously muddy beaten up field, the new field would allow for “more than 5,000 hours of use a year by the school and the community, “ according to Moco360 previously known as Bethesda Magazine.
According to MCPS, turf fields offer a professional level of play and safe year – round use, all while saving water, requiring less maintenance and offering economic value.
While turf fields do require less water, they lead to less sustainability and environmental harm. Artificial turf only lasts for eight-10 years (the turf was just redone in June 2024) after which it is disposed of in a landfill.
Yes, grass fields can cause injuries due to poor weather and poor maintenance. But the sudden movements of sports offer great stress on players’ joints especially when playing on turf fields, where the force from running has nowhere to go except back up the leg. “20% more non – contact injuries occurred per play on a turf surface than a grass surface,” according to Mass General Brigham.
The average turf field uses roughly 400,000 pounds of infill (commonly tire crumb chemicals) and another 40,000 pounds of artificial turf carpet. The toxic tire crumb chemicals break down into plastics and microplastics that make their way into runoff water further polluting the air, harming aquatic life and contributing to microplastic pollution.
Additionally, playing on turf simply has a different feel, which is why FIFA requires all games to be played on real, natural grass. “I’m not a fan of turf, when you shoot the balls don’t bounce, they just absorb into the ground,” sophomore lacrosse player Blake Williams said.
Currently sports are facing an injury epidemic with severe knee injuries and ACL ( anterior cruciate ligament) tears becoming increasingly common. According to the Santa Clara University student newspaper “A 2024 study by Mass General Hospital found that football players are 23% more likely to tear an ACL on turf than on natural grass,”.
Female athletes in particular are most susceptible, with female athletes being up to “9x more likely than males to sustain a non-contact ACL tear,” OrthoVirginia physical therapist Anthony Phillips said.
According to sophomore soccer player Manuella Poggio, the new turf is to blame for the unexpectedly high number of injuries this season. “It’s definitely easier to get injured on turf,” Poggio said.
With the school in desperate need of renovation, the last thing we need is to spend money on an artificial turf field that will cause environmental harm and increase the risk of injury among student athletes.
