Artificial Turf: A Dangerous Playing Surface

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Monsanto, AstroTurf's original manufacturer, had an
ace in hole as well; grass doesn't grow very well in domes. Seduced by visions
of conquering Mother Nature and paying a couple kids minimum wage to run a
vacuum cleaner over the field between games, stadium executives across the
nation bought into the AstroTurf movement. However, as the powers that be soon
discovered f or themselves, AstroTurf proved to be neither cheaper nor lower
maintenance than grass, and it had a nasty little side effect. Players, coaches,
and trainers began to notice a substantial increase in the frequency of injuries
on the improved traction and reduced cushion of AstroTurf. Doctors even
identified and named a few new ones, common only to the artificial surface.

Turf Injuries

The relative hardness of AstroTurf has spawned an unpleasant little chronic
injury called turf toe. It occurs when the big toe is crushed into an artificial
surface, ramming the toe back up into the foot and ripping up any ligaments ...

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injury prevention basis,
not on a relative cost basis." Those facts, however, did not stop the NFL
Players Association from conducting its own injury studies. The NFLPA concluded
for the 1984 season that "the average turf injury took longer to heal, that the
number of players increased by a third and that the number of missed games
doubled when the injuries occurred on turf." More recently, an ESPN poll
conducted in September 1995 likewise found that 98 percent of NFL players
believe playing on AstroTurf will shorten their careers. The NFLPA's reasoning
for the increase in injuries echoed what common sense and trainers across the
League had been saying for years. AstroTurf, because of ...

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