A joint examine by the NFL and NFLPA discovered that lower-extremity accidents occurred at practically similar charges on artificial and pure turf, according to ESPN.
The report examined all video games over the course of the 2023 season, defining accidents that might be attributed to taking part in floor as lower-extremity, non-contact accidents which are severe sufficient to pressure missed video games. The examine discovered that the incidence fee of lower-body accidents (per 100 performs) was 0.001 increased on artificial turf (0.043) than pure (0.042).
The info is according to a 2022 joint study by the NFL and NFLPA that exhibits lower-body, non-contact accidents are statistically comparable on synthetic turf and on pure surfaces. These charges had been barely additional aside than within the 2022 examine, with artificial turf at 0.048 and pure at 0.035. Nevertheless, earlier years have discovered that there’s a statistically vital distinction between lower-body harm charges on turf and on grass. The American Orthopedic Society for Sports activities Medication carried out a examine in 2018, discovering that artificial turf fields caused 16 percent more lower-extremity accidents utilizing information collected from 2012 to 2018. The American Journal of Sports activities Medication found similar results in a 2019 examine utilizing information from 2012 to 2016.
The participant’s union launched a press release to ESPN, saying the numbers had been solely shut in 2023 as a result of accidents on grass fields elevated.
“As we have said repeatedly,” the assertion learn, “injury data in a one-year time capsule does not account for what we have known since we started tracking these injuries: that a well-maintained, consistent grass surface is still simply safer for players than any synthetic field. The story of last year’s injury data is that, unfortunately, injury rates on grass have increased from last year.
“The data cannot, however, account for what players have shared with the NFL for years: that we feel much worse after playing on synthetic surfaces and overwhelmingly prefer consistent, high-quality grass fields.
NFL players have been extremely vocal about their stance against turf surfaces. In an anonymous poll conducted by The Athletic this season, nearly 83 percent of the 85 players surveyed said playing on turf is a real problem. Players argue that they feel more sore after games on turf fields than they do on grass.
Players like Cooper Kupp, Calais Campbell, Deebo Samuel, and Dalton Schultz have all spoken out against playing on turf within the last couple of years. The Kelce brothers – Eagles center Jason and Chiefs tight end Travis – dedicated a segment of their podcast decrying turf fields, arguing that the ground is harder and leads to more concussions. The joint study found that concussions were relatively stable, but did not differentiate between concussions sustained on turf and grass.
“This year’s injury data also does not explain how quick they are to flip NFL stadium surfaces from bad synthetic to better grass for international soccer friendlies and tournaments,” the NFLPA’s assertion to ESPN continued.
At first of the 2023 season, NFLPA Government Director Lloyd Howell released a statement that making the swap to grass “is the easiest decision the NFL can make.” As a part of his argument, Howell argued it “makes no sense” that some stadiums will flip their surfaces to grass to adjust to World Cup laws, then flip again to turf for the NFL season. The league started exploring the potential of working with FIFA to analysis discipline compositions.
Some NFL house owners have argued that changing their stadium surfaces to grass can be a lot more durable than some have hypothesized. Cowboys Government Vice President Stephen Jones informed The Athletic in October that such adjustments would have needed to already be thought-about in the course of the constructing of the stadium. Dallas is changing its discipline to a natural-grass hybrid to host World Cup video games, however FIFA mentioned these surfaces could not “survive the duration of the tournament.”
“We are looking at the pitch conversion and how that conversion is going to be done to make it a natural-grass surface that will actually survive the duration of the tournament, which is a huge challenge,” FIFA COO Heimo Schirgi said to the Dallas Morning Information.
