sp,rlsTURf ~

To most people, SporlGrass has the look and feel of natural turf.

Supplementing Natural GrassWith Artificial TurfBy Kathleen Corteen McCarthy

For years, the debate over athleticfield surfaces has turned playingfields into battlefields. Athletes and

coaches prefer natural grass becauseof its resilience and playability. Butfacility personnel need the durabilityand easy maintenance usually associatedwith artificial turf.

Seeking to bridge the gap, Sport-Grass Inc. has developed a product,SportGrass Athletic Surfacing (SAS),designed to combine the best of bothnatural and artificial surfaces. Theproduct has met favorable responses sofar, and if it continues to impress athleticmanagers, it will likely become a viablealternative for many playing fields.When used to replace traditional grasssurfaces, SAS can improve field condi-tions and durability. Synthetic surfacesare also good candidates for replace-ment - which is good news for profes-sional and college sports teams thatlike keeping their players happy.

Artificial DebateAs a rule, athletes don't like syn-

thetic surfaces. If at no other time, this

26 sporfsTURF

became evident recently when the NFLPlayers Association released a survey of965 players. Ninety-three percent saidartificial turf is more likely to causeinjuries than grass. They believe artifi-cial turf not only triggers a higher rateof injuries but aggravates and exacerbatesexisting injuries.

The trouble is there is little real datato support their beliefs. One of the fewstudies to do so relied on data collectedduring the 1980-1989 seasons by trainersthrough the NFL Injury SurveillanceSystem. The study, published in theAmerican Journal of Sports Medicine,agreed there did seem to be an increasedrisk for knee injuries to the MeL (medialcollateral ligament) and ACL (anteriorcruciate ligament) among conditions inkick-offs and punts on artificial turf.However, the study limited its findings,by recognizing there is no single factorthat causes an injury. Among the factorsnot considered were the height andweight of the players, personal injury his-tories and the type of shoe worn.Neglecting the latter is important, sinceone complaint is that players are hurt onartificial turfby too much traction. This

means that artificial turf might not beso much at fault as the type of shoeworn. So, instead ofripping up all the arti-ficial turf in the world, perhaps it wouldbe better to conduct research on "shoe-surface interface," which would allowplayers to choose the safest shoes towear on any surface.

Although research fails to show anyrealrorrillafunoo~oonartificialturfandinjuries, it doesn't really matter. It'swhat players believe that counts. Thismeans trouble for clubs that, because ofclimatic conditions, must rely on artifi-cial turf to supply a playable surfaceor to get through a season with as fewcanceled dates as possible. They facethe threat oflawsuits because of artifi-cial turfs reputation and, through freeagency, the loss of athletes who want toplay on grass thinking it will betterprotect their multi-million-dollar legs. Introuble particularly are teams that playin domes. Although it may be possibleto build a dome that will support grass,some experts say there is not a domedstadium in the United States todaythat can maintain playing-qualitygrass all year.