The Tragic Carpet?

By Ed Barnes

First it was the Jets. Wayne Chrebet, a wide receiver, broke his foot while making a cut upfield during an exhibition game. Then Vinny Testaverde, their quarterback, popped his Achilles tendon pushing off to recover a fumble. Last week the Atlanta Falcons star running back, Jamal Anderson, tore a knee ligament trying to outmaneuver linemen. In each case the only contact the players had was with the artificial turf. Both teams had been playoff hopefuls, the Falcons eyeing a return to the Super Bowl. Now it is doubtful these teams can put together a winning season. At least nine other players have faced similar injuries in just the second week of the schedule.

These season-ending injuries have reignited a battle over the safety of artificial turf, particularly AstroTurf, the dominant brand. For at least 15 years the issue has been discussed and studied by doctors and the National Football League. Scientific studies have been inconclusive. AstroTurf's owner insists its carpet is safe. "Every time there is an injury on turf, it is the turf's fault; when it is on grass, it is just the game. Football is a dangerous game, whether played on turf or grass," says James Savoca, vice president of Southwest Recreational Industries. Yet at least three deaths and several cases of paralysis have been blamed on artificial surfaces.

More than a few players would like to slam Savoca to the carpet just to make a point. Nearly everyone who plays on artificial turf--think sandpaper laid over concrete--hates it. Players say ligaments pop because the surface doesn't "give" once a foot is planted. Skin shreds from its abrasiveness; heads hurt from its hardness. Clark Gaines, regional representative of the National Football League's Players Association, says artificial turf causes up to three times as many noncontact injuries as grass. "These injuries simply don't happen on a natural surface," he says. "Players have their own terminology for it. They are called turf injuries."

Players also charge that even without injuries, the pounding their bodies take on turf shortens their careers. Recently, baseball player Barry Larkin of the Cincinnati Reds demanded a trade to a grass-field team to try to extend his career. According to Gaines, many free agents have refused to sign with teams whose home field is carpeted. The Green Bay Packers requested that a preseason game against the New Orleans Saints be played on grass, so the Superdome was covered with a temporary grass pitch.

Artificial turf now covers the field in about half of all football stadiums at the professional and major college level, as well as more than 1,500 high school and small college fields. AstroTurf controls the bulk of the market, a $50 million-a-year business.

That market is under pressure as player opposition, new technology and the rise of single-purpose stadiums have swung team owners to grass. Virtually every new non-domed stadium under construction will have a grass surface. The Chicago Bears and the New England Patriots, as well as a number of baseball teams, switched back to grass several years ago. But even Gaines acknowledges that grass isn't the answer everywhere, particularly in northern climes and on municipal fields that get tons of use.

New technology may have a solution. An upstart company called FieldTurf, in alliance with sports monolith Nike, has developed a surface that more closely resembles the texture and response of grass. It is made of synthetic blades and is held up by an artificial dirt composed of silica and rubber that can be made of recycled running shoes. The University of Nebraska recently installed the surface after a year in which 40 football players sustained injuries on AstroTurf. "It is the closest thing to natural grass I've seen," says John Ingram, the Cornhuskers' director of athletic facilities. "This year we haven't had any injuries, and the players like it."

AstroTurf recently introduced a similar product, provoking a nasty battle and a patent-infringement suit. A new turf war is on, but grass may be the ultimate winner.