Field of play: Take a deep dive into the artificial turf vs natural grass debate

Welcome to our comprehensive compilation of research studies, articles, and news reports that examine the ongoing debate between artificial turf and natural grass. This collection offers you valuable insights into topics related to artificial turf such as injury rates, player safety, environmental impact, potential health risks, and also dispels some common myths. 

Whether you're an athlete, a parent, a coach, or simply curious about the subject, this resource aims to deepen your understanding of the debate. We hope this compilation will help contribute to a more informed dialogue on the choices we make regarding sports surfaces and their impact on our well-being and the environment. Click on the links to explore the original sources and form your own conclusions.

Academic articles

1. Higher Rates of Lower Extremity Injury on Synthetic Turf Compared With Natural Turf Among National Football League Athletes: Epidemiologic Confirmation of a Biomechanical Hypothesis. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2019.‍
2. Incidence of Knee Injuries on Artificial Turf Versus Natural Grass in National Collegiate Athletic Association American Football: 2004-2005 Through 2013-2014 Seasons. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2019.‍
3. Lower Extremity Injury Rates on Artificial Turf Versus Natural Grass Playing Surfaces: A Systematic Review. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2023.‍
4. National Football League Injury and Safety Panel. An analysis of specific lower extremity injury rates on grass and FieldTurf playing surfaces in National Football League Games: 2000-2009 seasons. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2012.‍
5. Incidence and risk factors for injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament in National Collegiate Athletic Association football: data from the 2004-2005 through 2008-2009 National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance System. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2012.‍
6. A review of football injuries on third and fourth generation artificial turfs compared with natural turf. Sports Medicine, 2011.‍
7. Risk of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury in Athletes on Synthetic Playing Surfaces: A Systematic Review. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2015.‍
8. Injury incidence is higher on artificial turf compared with natural grass in high school athletes: A retrospective cohort study. Current Orthopaedic Practice, 2021.‍
9. A High-Morbidity Outbreak of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus among Players on a College Football Team, Facilitated by Cosmetic Body Shaving and Turf Burns Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2004.

Other studies on the subject, including news reports and surveys

10. ‍The Effect of Turf On Injuries In The NFL. Football Rookie Handbook, 2021.‍
11. Research shows “statistically significant higher risk” of lower extremity injuries on slit-film turf. NBC Sports, 2022.‍
12. New study casts doubt on safety of synthetic turf, wvtf.org, 2022.‍
13. Artificial turf potentially linked to cancer deaths of six Phillies ball players, 2023‍
14. Artificial turf and cancer risk, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2016‍
15. Impact of tire debris on in vitro and in vivo systems, Particle and Fibre Toxicology‍
16. Toxic PFAs chemicals found in artificial turf, The Intercept, 2019‍
17. Why we don’t recommend artificial grass for most people, Wirecutter, 2021‍
18. Turf Wars, Distillations Magazine, Science History Institute, 2015‍
19. NMSU compares artificial turf to real grass in water usage, lcsun-news.com, 2018.‍
20. Synthetic Surface Heat Studies, Brigham Young University, Utah.‍
21. Surface Temperature of Synthetic Turf, Penn State’s Center for Sports Research,‍
22. Only natural grass can level the NFL’s playing field, 2020‍
23. NFL player health & safety lies beneath the surface, 2022‍
24. NFL Players Association playing surfaces opinion survey, 2010.‍
25. Most NFL players prefer playing on natural grass: 2008 survey by SFMA, formerly the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA)‍
26. Artificial Turf, Peer (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility)‍
27. Synthetic turf field recycled tire crumb rubber research under the Federal research action plan, EPA report, 2019‍
28. Global evaluation of the chemical hazard of recycled tire crumb rubber employed on worldwide synthetic turf football pitches, Science of The Total Environment, 2022‍
29. Turf wars: The courtroom battle over artificial turf safety may be closer than we think, Reuters, 2023‍
30. Microplastics in freshwater sediments: An investigation of stream sediments downstream of artificial football turfs, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), 2018.‍
31. Natural Grass and Artificial Turf: Separating Myths and Facts,  n.d.‍
32. Synthetic turfgrass costs far exceed natural grass playing fields, University of Missouri Extension, 2005‍
33. New slant on the mod sod, 1971

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