How AstroTurf Got Kicked Off the Field

Jean Prévost, an athlete growing up, always had the dream of creating something that would help other athletes. After working with tennis courts and artificial golf tee-off greens, he made some advances that led him to go bigger. FieldTurf started with a soccer field, which led to football fields and the big moment when Nebraska coach Tom Osborne came to check out his product. Osborne fell in love with the surface and the rest is history.
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[@fireaza]

If two rival companies are both manufacturing artificial grass, is it considered a turf war?

[@drewrod7016]

Yes

[@jffry24]

fireaza funny

[@heyeddieg]

Ight say hello to r/showerthoughts

[@claypage1089]

They each have blades.

[@noominiacal]

Bazinga

[@crispy6311]

Still... nothing beats natural grass.

[@Kobiejohnson12]

Crispy grass is more expensive to maintenance

[@stixky4224]

Platinum Pepe lmao

[@ketchapchuuu7756]

Mas Pussej Allergic to this dick

[@wiltonater]

It’s also more limited dry conditions & cold conditions hurt grass, most turf grass is Bermuda or Kentucky Blue

[@masterchief8726]

Mas Pussej I get itchy after every game I play on grass, but I prefer grass over turf any day

[@jamesthemaniac3293]

The problem is that the rubber pellets get in your shoes almost immediately making walking and running very uncomfortable.

[@mjs9611]

jamesthemaniac you learn to deal with it after awhile. Source: been playing sports on turf for 10+ years.

[@jamesthemaniac3293]

I use turf dawgs myself. I got tired of ruined socks every time the pellets melted into the fabric in the dryer. I think the company went out of business though.

[@hkbprod]

The ground also gets hot and heats up your feet especially if your cleats dont breath well

[@felizkodie5328]

Yea u sound like a bitch bro, you could easily just take off your shoe and dump it out

[@jamesthemaniac3293]

yeah, thats totally a thing i can do during a soccer match. no biggee to just take off my shoe every few minutes.

[@s_d_1200]

id still play on natural grass

[@bigpoppa3020]

Seb Dizon Most nfl teams do if they can .

[@bad1487]

Our school has good grass. I like it so much better than turf.

[@idgaf8795]

Lil Shubs _ especially when you get those pieces of rubber in your cleats and heats the fuck outta your foot

[@mrobertsmr53]

I would love to play of natural grass. Our schools field in natural grass but about 60% of it it rutted, potholes everywhere, and giant mud pits. Not to mention our field is litteraly like a hill. Looking from the sidelines it's a freaking hill 😂😂

[@mrobertsmr53]

austiniscool8 ours is pretty bad. Like it's very overdone.

[@karinavillegas6867]

turf gets too hot

[@Jackrobertsch]

dont they usually spray some water in it before using it to prevent that ?

[@naturally_rob]

Jack Roberts They're supposed to. But most high schools and colleges dislike doing it for a various if reasons

[@harryrushton5270]

Clearly you don’t live in the uk

[@zachh6367]

i played baseball on a turf field that had small tubes in the ground all over with air coming out it was like air conditioning for the field

[@unwarranteddumbassery9263]

killua zoldyck how do we know you're not a tiny man on an air hockey table?

[@jamesike7740]

Nothing will ever beat a well kept natural field

[@fartexplosion4480]

True, but some places can't grow or have the budget to grow and maintain natural grass

[@x9x9x9x9x9]

You're title is a lie. I came here expecting a story on how astro turf got kicked off the field and isn't used anymore. I don't give a damn about its background I was wondering why it wasn't used but now your title is just a lie.

[@mmonkeyman1403]

I think after watching this video you would understand that astroturf isn't used anymore because it's antiquated and abrasive and dangerous to athletes, whereas Field turf isn't any of those things and as a result, Astro-Turf was "Kicked off the field".

[@phatdawg1]

x9x9x9x9x9 he actually did say why tthey dont use it anymore

[@user-pi8jk4tv6g]

At the beginning it literally said, field turf declined in usage in the 90’s because of injury’s

[@Mark-cc5bv]

Turns out I watched a 4 minute commercial for this assholes business.

[@jarcat2268]

Yeah

[@marks7965]

Guy who owns turf company thinks turf is better than grass. Shocking

[@carolynmmitchell2240]

Mark S play in the winter on grass

[@gunnaryoung]

Guy who thinks turf is better than grass starting a turf company, shocking!

[@stephbauer3485]

Turf is better. Shocking.

[@CourtlandMiller1994]

Steph Bauer not for your knees and ligaments

[@noominiacal]

He's wrong.

[@Bhub746]

Every athlete will know the burden of getting those little rubber beads in your socks

[@noominiacal]

This product has led to more knee injuries in the NFL than any other factor, without a doubt.

[@Benger2185]

I think it has more to do with the shoe technology on astroturf at that time

[@k-town8163]

It's all part of the corrupt system. (Just like the US..) The more injuries the less money guaranteed ‼️

[@donaldpump3072]

They used regular cleats?

[@liam9431]

When running track, the track and turf gets so hot, after a few miles, your shoes start to melt lol

[@Averylx1400]

Liam the trick I have found is to never run🤷‍♂️

[@Kraze777]

Run faster

[@wesmoon5154]

Well obviously, things in sports are bad especially on artificial surfaces lol

[@followthegrow108]

Liam I was about to say. And all of the rubber pellets attract the heat and get in you shoes. Its fucking horrible. Just give me Bermuda grass.

[@nikp6302]

Y’all might think he’s joking, but after around 12 in the summer, your shoes get uncomfortably hot. Even on cleats.

[@marktrovato6198]

The Arizona Cardinals do it right. Field is brought in only for games on a roller from the outside of the stadium and cared for outside after games and it is........natural GRASS.

[@beesting5693]

Mark Trovato yea it’s actually pretty awesome when you think about it. All the engineering it took to be able to transport it out of the stadium all in one piece, and then treat it for every day and bring it in 8 times a year

[@farawayoutpost8342]

Unfortunately it costs way more to maintain a natural grass field. People love to hate on artificial turf but they forget that natural grass is more likely to have uneven surface, gopher holes, it turns to mud making it more slippery and unsanitary, it dies in the winter, requires a ton of water (not environmentally feasible in places like the Arizona desert or in freezing cold climates such as Buffalo). Also some players are allergic to grass.

[@NAKeaveny]

Artificial turf in Texas summers is hell

[@beatsbycucumber1337]

Yeah it feels like 150 out in the field

[@whitelightning2402]

Yes it feels like your cleats are melting into a void lol

[@monstergames2468]

i would much rather have grass than field turf

[@SirPetterTheFirst]

Field Turf is much better then Natural grass and less upkeep

[@monstergames2468]

Hot Communist A-10 Warthog but grass is more natural and no black pellets. Also when you slide on the turf the rubber pellets get in your shoes and burns more than real grass

[@russellmoore8187]

I think the point of this video is that you’d rather have a friable infilled turf than Astroturf.

[@jalenbrown8827]

Monster Games but if ur skin is allergic to grass it’s gonna be hell😭

[@stephbauer3485]

You'd much rather have flip phones, cassette tapes, and out houses too!

[@colepersinger6151]

Has anyone else played on that 30 year old feild that when you touch it your hand is black with ruber cuz the feild is trash

[@baccamc6087]

cole persinger feild

[@jonytheman1345]

cole persinger feild

[@macon-]

feild

[@interstellartravel]

feild

[@cookiee818]

feild

[@davezanko9051]

AstroTurf is still around, having been spun off and changed hands a few times. Their modern turfs are made quite like FieldTurf's, with an infill system. In fact, the only artificial turfs in Major League Baseball are made by AstroTurf.

[@suuwooski6416]

Dave Zanko yea but baseball is different and most mlb teams use natural grass

[@suuwooski6416]

I dont think any use turf anymore

[@dougd1598]

Jays do atleast in the outfield

[@reidhopkins1123]

been 1200 there are a few teams that use astro turf on the infield. There are a lot of high schools that use it for baseball along with a few colleges too.

[@ronniesorter1888]

@@suuwooski6416 There are 5 artificial turf fields in MLB now. Arizona, Texas, Toronto, Tampa Bay, and Miami.

[@Nate-uy5vc]

Turf is the worst you get turf burns which hurt like crazy the turf get super hot on your feet. Grass is a lot better it’s softer doesn’t give you burns doesn’t make your feet hot and it’s awesome when it rains because it’s a muddy game

[@williamtapio7799]

Cleats get stuck in turf and cause ligament damage. I tore my ACL running down the field in the football game, no contact involved whatsoever.

[@EzequielMiz]

William Tapio than use artificial grass/turf cleats

[@Apcoolcharles]

William Tapio trash ass field

[@AustroStudiosbruh]

Agreed

[@brendenhaydenvlogs2590]

William Tapio . Right

[@Matthew-qy7op]

And I blew out my knee making a cut on natural grass. I don't think the turf has much to do with that, neither does the grass, but the nature of the game.

[@samthebologna]

As an athlete and nature lover, I am completely against astroturff. Although I do not doubt that it is more convenient and useful for sports, there is nothing the same as playing a game on a beautiful green grass field. The smell, softness, and beauty of grassfields is something that can never be matched by artificial turf.

[@andrewr7982]

I support real grass not artificial turf

[@carolynmmitchell2240]

Bojo David yeah weed is way better than pep spice, it won't hospitalize you

[@andrewr7982]

carolyn mmitchell hell ya

[@kellyy.mariee]

Bojo David soft landing pft

[@jacobhanekamp2534]

You would support turf if...... You did marching band

[@rachelgarber1423]

We had astroturf on our baseball/football stadium here in Philadelphia for several decades. Stuff was >100 degrees in the sun in the dog days of summer. Very slippery when wet, rainwater lay on the surface instead of being absorbed into soil, since there was no soil. Separate fields built for both sports using natural grass

[@RiftZM]

Back in the early to mid 1990's, I dove for an over thrown pass in a peewee football game played on some of the older turf. Felt like sliding on pavement.

[@johndoe-tx4vw]

They never mentioned 3M Tartan Turf first used by the University of Tennessee in 1968. Then the University of Wisconsin installed it in 1968 too. In the NFL, Pittsburgh had it installed in the new Three Rivers Stadium in 1970. In Dallas the new Texas Stadium installed it for their new complex in 1971. Finally, the Kansas City Chiefs used it in Arrowhead Stadium in 1972. There is also no mention of Poly - Turf by American Built Rite used in the Orange Bowl and Schaffer Stadium in Foxbourgh.

[@guidomista8448]

It's still horrible to dive on, literally today my arm was bleeding from sliding around on AstroTurf, not to mention if it is a hot day, the turf heats to about twice the temperature of normal grass, I've seen people's cleats melt on it.

[@Nonplused]

I live in Calgary, Alberta and these fields seem to be popping up everywhere, and it is a blessing. We have a pretty short growing season and grass fields always seem to be in disrepair, especially in front of the nets and at the kick off point. I've played on these fields and they are much better than what we have for grass fields. More even, no mud pits where the goalie stands, no gopher holes or sprinkler heads, just a much better solution given our climate. Also when the grass does grow, which is pretty much just June and July, the city doesn't always get around to cutting them in a timely manner so you never know if you are playing on 1.5 inches of grass or 6. Also these fields are always properly marked, whereas grass fields you never know if you have white lines or not. It all depends on if the people who mark the fields got around to your field after it was mowed but before your game.

[@mooseemeier]

There is no place like Nebraska

[@miniena7774]

Yes there are.

[@laurenwheeler8219]

go nebraska

[@blackholegvr7300]

GBR!

[@skatershit89]

Because it's the shitstain of all the states?

[@evansvanda8358]

GBR!! 🌽

[@mrmidnight32]

You know it's an amazing company and product when their opening intro is telling you about their failures and short comings with the original implementation.

[@Officernoob]

My school actually uses this type of turf and it's actually really nice I don't get turf Burns and it doesn't get too hot. I used to have negative view on turf but some of the newer fields are actually preferable to me than grass bc it's more consistent. (Soccer)

[@reymondkristoffergarcia3865]

That's one of the reasons why Houston Astrodome called the House of Pain

[@luiso581]

" As a jock"

[@SuperNuclearUnicorn]

Lol thought I was the only one who found that funny. Some middle aged dude saying he's a jock

[@edzachary8657]

Having played on it briefly I really find it hard to believe that it's safer than a natural grass

[@natevart4156]

My head would bounce off the turf like a basketball when I was tackled in high school. Definite concussions lol

[@Ciaran_ASMR]

Astro is good but its sore falling on it

[@politicalrebel9666]

Walking on turf feels like walking on lava

[@hunterweartz11]

nothing beats playing on short grass field

[@owenwelch6167]

Lmao didn't think this many people could be this passionate about grass till i read these comments

[@alexfournier8574]

In California it’s way too expensive to play on grass (to maintain and stuff) so we HAVE to play on turf. It’s brutallll

[@alexvansurksum880]

I have played on a field turf field before and I got so much road rash on my legs and it even cut me on my calf twice.

[@ekzpo3876]

I wish we had turf because halfway through the season our field starts to feel like concrete. Also, I don't believe all the stories of people tearing their ACL because of it, I think that it would be just as dangerous (if not more) running on an uneven field with bumps and holes in it that is easy to slip on. I've personally hyper-extended my knee twice from stepping into a pothole while sprinting, so I think I would trade that in for a bit of turf burn.

[@BesoRati]

Not disregarding your misfortunes or anything but, by its very nature this is also a story. The other people in this comment section have also had accidents while they were on turf so you to them are also just "telling stories". Do you see where I'm coming from?

[@Theeswaglord]

@@BesoRati it’s been 4 years muscle man

[@jimbo111589]

I was with this guy until he said it beats natural grass. No it doesn't. It provides more consistency than natural grass from stadium to stadium, but a well kept grass field is still the number one option for playing on, at least in my opinion.

[@skull8558]

As a football player I never thought about the cushioning of the field I though it was jus used as and alternative to the muddy grass fields

[@johndoe-tx4vw]

I'm surprised the University of Notre Dame installed artificial turf a couple of years ago.

[@raybaker8653]

Still seems like every football team that has to play an away game on turf, their injuries go up.

[@Ragtime4]

Lions 49ers 2021, week 1. Three players out for the year, two with minimal-contact leg injuries… (Jeff Okudah - blown achilles, jason verrett - torn ACL)

[@Hauler24]

Play with grass. Football and soccer shouldn't be played on this stuff. Sorry.

[@carolynmmitchell2240]

Hauler24 in the winter playing on grass is so great

[@misterconor1434]

Nothing beats real grass, it just can't be replaced.

[@ExcellentAlex432_]

Turf fields are better than dirt. Coming from a high school football player, a soft landing is a lot better compared to rock hard dirt.

[@mekanism8364]

ExcellentAlex432 shitty field then. We play on grass and it feels like falling on a pillow. Take that from a high school player

[@SOCCERSUCK123]

Milsim Tac turf is better grass is too hard

[@mekanism8364]

Please see my previous comment

[@olyseth]

It doesn't feel like a pillow when its 20 F out

[@jimbo111589]

See when I was in highschool, I preferred the grass. They renovated my senior year and I didn't play as well, but the competition didn't play as well either. I think maybe turf is easier on hits, but since I was O-line, I didn't hit the ground almost at all, so I prefer grass.

[@kevinj9315]

Why am I watching a video on turf... I should be doing my homework

[@johndoe-tx4vw]

No one ever mentions besides the best know Astroturf, Tartan Turf and Poly Turf. Pittsburgh, Dallas and Kansas City had Tartan Turf when their new stadiums opened in the early 1970's. Miami and New England installed Poly Turf which turned a bluish shade being exposed to the hot Miami sun.

[@NFLYoungBoy223]

University of Chicago football field was rough it was abrasive

[@Bowfella]

Thanks youtube. I can now put this 3 year old video in my collection of grass videos.

[@masterchief8726]

tbh I prefer grass over turf, because for football (soccer) I find it more comfortable to play on. I find that on turf the ball behaves weirdly compared to a well-maintained natural grass field. That may be because I'm so used to playing on grass, but still for me, nothing beats grass

[@RogueJedi501]

I thought it was going to be a video of someone actually kicking AstroTurf off a field by accident 😂

[@okrajoe]

Fascinating technology

[@jaceanderson6955]

I’m not 100% sure this is true but a lot of reports have been made that the tires on turf when they are rubbed together causes dust which causes cancer idk but I think it does

[@adrianmcdonagh7924]

Nothing beat real grass fields

[@isuckatgamingmaskedgamer9890]

Turf gets hot and everytime I fall on it it gives me a rug burn especially since I play football that low burns tho

[@MarbleFox162]

It’s midnight, and I’m watching a video about fake grass.

[@JohnHillEU]

So funny to invent a replacement for something as timeless and ubiquitous as natural grass. Fair play to the team

[@ponchoperdomo4272]

When it’s very sunny the field warm up and your feet start to burn

[@MogensenEdits]

My high school is installing 2 of these this summer

[@SD-vi7kv]

Nah this guy is a legend at my school football wouldn’t be the same without fieldturf

[@alechorwitz3134]

It’s horrible for your knees and joints. There is a case of the rubber causing cancer. There over 50 soccer goalies that have Similar cancers and doctors believe it’s from having the rubber kicked at them and then ingesting through mouth, noes and ears. It’s horrible and they need to do some fixing.

[@covertbigfoot423]

When I played football everyone hated playing on turf. The only good thing it was was was it cleaned your shoes.

[@thebigbison9949]

Yep, gotta have that perfect safe mix, so that concussions and CTE are easier to obtain.

[@alexmckoy7678]

In Georgia some times we weren't allowed on the field turf because it would instantly burn you if you touched it.

[@Sugefut]

This stuff still tears your hips and ankles up quicker than real grass... this is not for the athletes... this is to save money on water and basic field maintenance.

[@turf8824]

stuff is so bad to breath when the sun is shining.

[@MINECRAFTBROS03]

My high school has this type of football field.

[@finessethathoe6068]

turf burns are the fucking worst

[@thomassparks1753]

Thought it was going to be more about how bad Astro Turf was, and not a commercial for the new turf!

[@stealthbombsmith7770]

I found that with grass, when it starts raining, it gets all muddy, your footing gets bad and you lose traction. Never had that problem on turf, with the pellet stuff we have now or the old carpet stuff which wasn't bad if it was adequately padded.

[@4dhumaninstrumentality789]

I loved playing football on artificial turf but even turf burn from that is pretty intense. I can’t imagine playing on astroturf. That just sounds crazy.

[@benburton6022]

Turf be givin me carpet burn

[@MoooseBlood]

I've never heard someone refer to themselves as "a jock" bit strange.

[@gregorykrug8034]

I like some FieldTurf, but the glare off of it is often horrible.

[@deezynar]

Reading the comments has me thinking about all the hospital cancer wards that are filled with athletes who played on this fake turf. It must be a tragic sight.

[@SilentButDudley]

I hate sliding on turf. I rip all the flesh off my knees and they are permanently scarred.

[@CGoody5642]

Everyone saying artificial turf sucks; it is cheaper than maintaining real grass. Simple as that.

[@michaelthomas2493]

The first team to use it, Middlesbrough got rid of it after 1 season

[@jgould30]

Bring back well maintained grass fields

[@jamesford5485]

I used to work for power turf, building fields.level the base, cut everything not green with a knife, sew it in, even trim the long fibers with siscors. There's a lot to it

[@FrostBitey10]

Nothing beats mother nature. Grass is better if it's done right.

[@thedonovan96]

The rubber is ground up tires. When putting this rubber on the field the rain takes the heavy metals and this way you get lots of problems in the soil. The heavy metals can run through the water system if the field is drained

[@Tyrone181]

Donovan Van Der Weerd If you use cork, this problem won't ever occur.

[@haydengray5187]

What about when it gets so hot it starts to melt shoes?

[@JohnRinNoHo]

What is the cost of field turfing a football field? What is the cost of natural grass?

[@grantbreezy5429]

My yard has Chelsea green artificial grass made from a silicon mix! And its amazing but in direct sunlight its HOT AS HELL!!!

[@butchcoolidge3057]

i remember i got a piece of rubber jammed into my aux port in my phone at a football camp and was never able to get it out. Hated turf ever since.

[@tecnoel4051]

Could imagine how dead everything is underneath the turf, just try a piece of rug and put over grass a few days or week are longer,left up after while to see the outcome

[@HunkMine]

Players want grass, less injures and better heat resistance. Greedy owners want turf

[@RealtorDanHayden]

Did you ask him about the cancer risk? ESPN did a 30 minute show covering the correlation between female soccer players and this playing surface.

[@SeahawkSTRIKE]

i heard theyre starting to change to cork instead of the shredded tire rubbers theyre using now

[@farisguerouate655]

oof

[@EMichaelBall]

Seahawk STRIKE Absolutely, and they also have an olive core option, too, but either one requires an underpad, which is difficult to retrofit on an existing field. A better choice: There is a "coolplay" material that replaces just the top rubber layer, available as both a retrofit or on new installations. A competitor offers "zeolite" quarry rock infill with an underpad.

[@rkid727]

I applaud the innovation. But I hate it. College and Pro Sports should be on natural grass.

[@akilleus1815]

No artificial grass will compare to a football game in the mud.

[@beesting5693]

Akilleus faaaacccttttssss

[@WeAreMovieMakers]

Why is the audio so bad?

[@IAmSplate]

Tackled somebody in football and we both went down, got up and out my mouth guard in and had to spit out turf. It get in everywhere and when you’re sweating, the little turf bits rubbing all over you is terrible

[@raptexalicious866]

This was filmed at my high schools field!

[@crunchyburrito2257]

Perfect natural grass is obviously the best to play on, but I would rather play on wet turf than muddy and slippery grass or bumpy, uneven grass. (Soccer)

[@seankelso2925]

Short real grass is by far the best surface tonplay on

[@poptart1496]

real glass is nice too

[@SkowCentral]

Lmao the disappointment when the rest of the team find out we practicing on turf lol fuck turf

[@ndomakongsuh936]

The black pellets are annoying and get everywhere. Not to mention the heat that resonated off the turf, our feet would burn and some days we couldn't practice because the turf was too hot.