Turf vs Grass, a question of safety vs cost, right?

Well, it might not be that simple. If at first glance you think that turf is more dangerous, you would be correct. However, a deeper dive reveals there are more factors than first appear. According to the NFLPA, many players say that they feel less safe on turf and grass is the only way to level the playing field.

Loyola’s own athletic director, Tim Moscicki, said, “Who do you think the players are going to blame when they get injured? The field they play on.”

Head Football Coach Drew Casani ‘91 said, “Having bad turf is equally as dangerous as having uneven grass.”

According to a study conducted by the National Library of Medicine, athletes are more likely to get an injury on their lower extremities when playing on artificial turf vs grass. However, a massive part of that is the study was conducted on NFL teams and fields. NFL teams have resources that high schools do not have to keep the grass and turf both on the best level.

Casani also said, “Good turf, like the turf we have, is not a bigger risk than grass.” Loyola has top-tier turf, which can limit the amount of injuries that happen overall. Bumpy grass can be just as much of a threat to player safety as bad artificial turf.

While there are studies that suggest that it would be safer to play on a grass field, there are many different factors that can limit high schools’ ability to provide that level of attention and money needed to keep their grass fields at the level that would be more safe than artificial turf. At a higher athletic level it may be a good idea to ban artificial turf, but at the high school level it is better to stick to what works best for us.