Some young athletes don’t want to give up their favorite cleats because they worry about performance on the field, he said. Like other sports medicine experts interviewed for this story, he thinks grass is safer.
“There’s no question that there is less torque when you’re on grass no matter what cleats you’re wearing,” he said.
For big stadiums, aside from player safety, there are financial pressures that favor artificial turf, which offers more flexibility for events like concerts. Weather and upkeep are part of the equation. A poorly maintained grass field can cause injuries.
The future may be hybrid fields. The Green Bay Packers’ Lambeau Field in Wisconsin has featured Kentucky bluegrass sod weaved in with synthetic fibers since 2018.
Grass or hybrid fields may get a boost from the 2026 World Cup. The regulations for the tournament have not yet been published, but grass has been preferred for all past men’s World Cups. Seven of the 11 U.S. venues are NFL stadiums with artificial turf. And in a recent ESPN interview, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the stadiums will be putting in hybrid surfaces for the tournament.
Grass field technology has improved, Cole said. “They can do it when it’s 110 (degrees) and they can do it when it’s 30 below zero in Green Bay. So it can be done. And I think the science is clearly enabling them to do it at this point.”
