So glad we play on real grass.

[CrazyDave]

I know this is a dumb thread, but watching a bit af the Rams game last night, I could'nt help but think how cheesy the fiwld looked.
It looked like a shag carpet, and everyone was just too clean.
And what's the deal with that crap that kept popping up outta the turf/ Is that fake dirt, to go with the fake grass?
Anyone see that?
Man, I love when Foxboro gets all muddy and stuff.
End of dumb thread.

 

[Flying Fungi]

I know this is a dumb thread, but watching a bit af the Rams game last night, I could'nt help but think how cheesy the fiwld looked.
It looked like a shag carpet, and everyone was just too clean.
And what's the deal with that crap that kept popping up outta the turf/ Is that fake dirt, to go with the fake grass?
Anyone see that?
Man, I love when Foxboro gets all muddy and stuff.
End of dumb thread.

not dumb at all

I like going to high school and college games and walking across dirt parking lots or fields to a game played in the elements--UNH's home field is a good example of that...

 

[Brownfan80]

I know this is a dumb thread, but watching a bit af the Rams game last night, I could'nt help but think how cheesy the fiwld looked.
It looked like a shag carpet, and everyone was just too clean.
And what's the deal with that crap that kept popping up outta the turf/ Is that fake dirt, to go with the fake grass?
Anyone see that?
Man, I love when Foxboro gets all muddy and stuff.
End of dumb thread.

I think that those 'field turf' fields have actual faux-"turf" under the grass. to make the ground feel less like concrete and more like a natural field. So when you see the divots that is the artificial turf breaking apart. From what I understand about it, anyway.

 

[CrazyDave]

did you guys see that stuff flyin up out of the rug?
I've never seen anything like that. Weird.
On the subject of that game, did anyone see the Indy QB run over the STL DB in the 3rd qtr? Put him on his ass. How embarassing.

 

[Brownfan80]

did you guys see that stuff flyin up out of the rug?
I've never seen anything like that. Weird.
On the subject of that game, did anyone see the Indy QB run over the STL DB in the 3rd qtr? Put him on his ass. How embarassing.

I didn't see it last night, but I've seen it before. My main thought was - "Geez, it must suck to get that stuff in your eyes" as it looked almost like rubberized sand flying through the air, the few times I've seen it.

 

[QuiGon]

I know this is a dumb thread, but watching a bit af the Rams game last night, I could'nt help but think how cheesy the fiwld looked.
It looked like a shag carpet, and everyone was just too clean.
And what's the deal with that crap that kept popping up outta the turf/ Is that fake dirt, to go with the fake grass?
Anyone see that?
Man, I love when Foxboro gets all muddy and stuff.
End of dumb thread.

Sorry, but I couldn't see the field behind Fox's ridiculously oversized down-and-distance logo they projected onto the field between plays.

 

[CrazyDave]

I didn't see it last night, but I've seen it before. My main thought was - "Geez, it must suck to get that stuff in your eyes" as it looked almost like rubberized sand flying through the air, the few times I've seen it.

Exactly. Like something you would throw down to clean up a spill. If they were outdoors, it would have made sense.

 

[texpat]

The field actually has small rubberlike pellets, about the size of a BB. Makes for a softer feel than the old astro turf. Sometimes when a player gets up, you can see the pellets sticking on the player, but they brush right off. The field is also rolled which smooths out the surface, the pellets just settle down under the fake grass.

A lot of local HS field in our area have them. For HS teams that have to work out daily on them (and even the soccer & lacrosse teams) they hold up well instead of having to maintain real grass.

I bet the Pats have this in their indoor practice field.

 

[Richter]

I wish turf of all sorts was banned from football, northern sites be damned. Football is meant to be played on grass.

 

[peppered johnson]

I didn't see it last night, but I've seen it before. My main thought was - "Geez, it must suck to get that stuff in your eyes" as it looked almost like rubberized sand flying through the air, the few times I've seen it.

the stuff is little rubber pellets, they make the turf more forgiving to land on, they can also reduce traction which can be a plus for reducing the probabilty of injuries.

 

[peppered johnson]

turf is crap in comparison to real grass in just about every way, its just more convenient, you would never see professional soccer or baseball played on turf, it would be a travesty

 

[Badger]

It is actually sand. My college alma matter put a field turf field down a few years ago and I watched them build it everyday on the way to work. They lay the field over a base of sand and then once it is down, they place large amounts of black sand over the field. It therefore gets kicked up everytime the field is brushed.

 

[Mike the Brit]

I wish turf of all sorts was banned from football, northern sites be damned. Football is meant to be played on grass.

I would find it very difficult to root for a football team that didn't play on grass.

 

[Tunescribe]

I wish turf of all sorts was banned from football, northern sites be damned. Football is meant to be played on grass.

I'm a purist like you, although the new field turf (with the black rubber pellets) seems to be a solid advancement from the old Astro-turf and its immediate successors. It doesn't quite make sense to me why a team like Buffalo has turf and not grass; their field isn't used by anyone else (college), is it? The Jets/Giants went to grass for a while and it didn't work out, apparently. My biggest gripe is with indoor football -- the dome concept was a bad one from the start. Football was meant to be played outdoors, in the elements. Teams like the Colts just aren't genuine.

 

[Tunescribe]

It is actually sand. My college alma matter put a field turf field down a few years ago and I watched them build it everyday on the way to work. They lay the field over a base of sand and then once it is down, they place large amounts of black sand over the field. It therefore gets kicked up everytime the field is brushed.

I don't think so. Perhaps they put sand underneath the base, but the stuff you see kicked up is finely ground rubber, from old tires.

 

[mdhprime]

Not a dumb thread at all. I really dislike seeing games played on fake turf. I bet the players (some anyway) hate playing on it as well. Nothing beats real turf.

 

[Patriotic]

Not only is playing on grass better for the fans, turf has been shown to cause more player injuries based on published reports.

In a related matter, I've never been a fan of Domes. As a spectator, I much prefer an outdoor setting versus the stuffy, noisy, claustrophobic and overall unnatural aspects to a Dome game. Just my opinion.

 

[jaychamp]

turf is crap in comparison to real grass in just about every way, its just more convenient, you would never see professional soccer or baseball played on turf, it would be a travesty

Baseball is never played on artificial turf?? I'm pretty sure all domed stadiums use artificial turf unless they have a retractable roof. I also think it first appeared in baseball. Maybe you were just being sarcastic, hard to tell

As long as we have domed stadiums artificial turf is here to stay

 

[Tunescribe]

Not only is playing on grass better for the fans, turf has been show to cause more player injuries based on the published reports.

In a related matter, I've never been a fan of Domes. As a spectator, I much prefer an outdoor setting versus the stuffy, noisy, claustrophobic and overall unnatural aspects to a Dome game. Just my opinion.

Right. What gets me are domes in warm-weather climates like Indianapolis (relatively speaking), Atlanta, New Orleans and San Antonio. An argument can be made for Arizona having a covered stadium because of the extreme heat, but that's about it. I always thought Minnesota lost a lot of homefield advantage and a lot of its unique identity by going indoors. The same goes for Detroit to a bit lesser degree. I'm glad Seattle didn't go fully enclosed with the new stadium; what they did to protect fans from the rain is pretty cool.

 

[T-ShirtDynasty]

I don't think so. Perhaps they put sand underneath the base, but the stuff you see kicked up is finely ground rubber, from old tires.

Both right, sand and recylcled tires and sneakers.

But FieldTurf is much more than just the absence of abrasions. Unlike traditional turf, FieldTurf does not rely on an underlying shock pad for safety, resilience and player comfort. Rather, like its natural grass cousin, FieldTurf’s grass fibers are surrounded and stabilized by a special blend of “synthetic earth†- FieldTurf’s patented mixture of smooth, rounded silica sand, rubber granules, and NIKE GRIND made of re-ground athletic shoe material.
The rubber granules are a key component. Tire rubber is cryogenically frozen, shattered into smooth, clean, rounded particles, sized and shaped to stay “in suspension†with the sand, which is of a similar size, shape and weight. The sand and rubber are precision layered to guarantee uniformity, with an installation process that is also patented.
The result: A stable, resilient, uniform, shock-absorbing surface. FieldTurf is the original and only system emulating natural grass, ideal not only for athletes at the elite level but for everyday athletes.

http://www.fieldturf.com/product/overview.cfm