Artificial turf has been both a positive and negative in sports. It is easy to maintain and takes far less maintenance than a grass field. This means that it can be less expensive to take care of and that it will maintain its look and condition for many years. However, artificial turf may look nice from the stands and on television, but many athletes dislike playing on it for a number of reasons reasons.
History
Astroturf first came into use in 1965, when the Astrodome opened in Houston, Texas. The Astrodome was the first domed stadium in North America and the stadium's owners realized that grass would not grow without sunlight. Monsanto built a green, plastic rug that looked like grass and could handle the rigors of football and baseball.
Features
Astroturf started off as a hard, plastic material that was designed to look like grass. However, the plastic carpet had none of the feel of grass. When an athlete would dive for a ball on artificial turf, the result would be a painful rug burn because it had none of the moisture that could be found on a grass field. Over the years, manufacturers have improved artificial turf fields to make it more comfortable, but even at its best, it is not as comfortable as a grass field. Other more serious injuries have been blamed on artifical turf surfaces, but most clinical studies have revealed conflicting data on the issue of whether artificial turf surfaces are more likely to cause injuries than grass surfaces.
Benefits
Artificial turf fields are used in outdoor stadiums as well as indoor ones. When the weather turns cold in late fall and early winter, an artificial turf field will maintain its condition while a grass field may freeze up and play as hard as concrete. An artificial turf field can usually handle a signficant rainfall while a grass field will not. Water can be squeejeed off an artificial turf field.
Misconceptions
Even though artificial turf fields have gone through signficant improvements and have been made softer -- through the addition of ground up rubber that cushions falls -- players have generally disliked the field. Former major league baseball star Richie Allen issued a statement that many other athletes have agreed with over the years. "If a horse can't eat it, then I don't want to play on it," Allen said.
Time Frame
It takes about two days to install an artificial turf field at a football stadium and the maintenance is relatively simple. Groundskeepers need to take rakes to make sure the soft rubber pellets on the bottom of the turf are spread evenly. This takes about two hours before every game.
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