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

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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?

[@Bhub746]

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

[@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?

[@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.

[@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

[@t28-h6j]

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

[@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!

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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)

[@edzachary8657]

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

[@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.

[@reymondkristoffergarcia3865]

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

[@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.

[@hunterweartz11]

nothing beats playing on short grass field

[@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

[@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

[@Ciaran_ASMR]

Astro is good but its sore falling on it

[@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)

[@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.

[@politicalrebel9666]

Walking on turf feels like walking on lava

[@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

[@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

[@johndoe-tx4vw]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@JohnHillEU]

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

[@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.

[@covertbigfoot423]

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

[@MarbleFox162]

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

[@NFLYoungBoy223]

University of Chicago football field was rough it was abrasive

[@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.

[@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

[@CGoody564]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@kevinj9315]

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

[@Bowfella]

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

[@owenwelch6167]

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

[@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.

[@SD-vi7kv]

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

[@HunkMine]

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

[@okrajoe]

Fascinating technology

[@alexmckoy7678]

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

[@MogensenEdits]

My high school is installing 2 of these this summer

[@gregorykrug8034]

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

[@SilentButDudley]

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

[@JohnRinNoHo]

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

[@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.

[@RogueJedi501]

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

[@thomassparks1753]

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

[@chrismyers4485]

As a college student majoring in sports turf management I would just like to say that this man doesn't have a complete understanding of what he's talking about because "turf" can be any surface natural or ARTIFICIAL turf which is what he is selling.

[@bucke9228]

Chris Myers the guy who invented it does not know what he is talking about. Typical know it all college student. It’s just a name bro get over yourself.

[@michaelthomas2493]

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

[@akilleus1815]

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

[@beesting5693]

Akilleus faaaacccttttssss

[@rkid727]

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

[@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

[@MemesOfProduction69]

Yeah when its 100 degrees in Texas and you have to play on a turf field, your feet will get so incredibly hot. Nothing beats a well manicured and maintained natural grass field. That's why the biggest and best football teams all across Europe use natural grass fields.

[@gregoryeverson741]

u mean soccer, who gives fuck about them, if u fart on a player they explode

[@MemesOfProduction69]

Gregory Everson and you are just another ignorant duck with no clue what hes talking about.

[@MoooseBlood]

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

[@sunny9895]

America- the country where even the grass is fake

[@kevinjones2745]

S B back to back world war champs bro. Shut your communist ass up.

[@almostfm]

I think S B should get back to us when some other country puts people on the damn Moon.

[@dorientjewoller113]

Sadly, Astro & Fieldturf isn't American at all. Invented and fabricated over the pound in mass by Domo, Belgium.

[@almostfm]

Actually, for at least the US (and I'm assuming all of North America), the manufacturing facility is in Calhoun, Georgia, and AstroTurf was invented in the US and manufactured (again, at least for the US market) in Dalton, Georgia.

[@CortezEspartaco2]

Kevin Jones , almostm Lol what does that have to do with fake grass? So defensive.

[@andrewhasaname]

I like the idea of turf, but it's just too abrasive. When I slide tackle on it, my entire knee is pretty much shreded.

[@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.

[@FrostBitey10]

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

[@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)

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@MINECRAFTBROS03]

My high school has this type of football field.

[@Saxshoe]

I really prefer performing on turf field, but during the day grass is so much cooler, it makes rehearsals more tolerable.

[@daveydonalddoo4880]

Ever play on fields where there’s more black rubber than the turf

[@JustSomeGuy009]

Bring back well maintained grass fields

[@thebigbison9949]

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

[@Rgallito]

I hate the rubber pellets that get in your socks and how hot the turf gíreles can get, to the point where your feet burn as well

[@yolazerbeam3205]

I'm sure the coach had no idea he wasn't walking on grass vs. Fake

[@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

[@siyattravisng5613]

Natural grass is so much better than the stupid plastic that burns you and cuts you the fuck open when you fall down

[@haydengray5187]

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

[@seankelso2925]

Short real grass is by far the best surface tonplay on

[@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.

[@grantbreezy5429]

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

[@benburton6022]

Turf be givin me carpet burn

[@anthersite1799]

Astro turf is like putting mesh on concrete.

[@drewdrew4943]

I love it but I hate the turf burns

[@bsmith6528]

I absolutely hated playing on turf