NFL Needs To Rip Up The Plastic Menace Wreaking Havoc On Knees

How many things exist in today’s world that are touted as signs of “progress” but actually suck and make life worse?

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A lot. More than we’d care to admit, perhaps.

Now, this might be a niche complaint, but I think it has had serious, harmful effects on countless American athletes, from high school all the way to the professional level — the dangers of turf fields. (RELATED: Trump-Loving Quarterback Could Miss Rest Of NFL Season After Suffering Severe Injury)

Turf fields are marketed as superior options to good old-fashioned grass fields, cheaper and easier to maintain over the long run. Sounds like technological progress, right?

Nope. Wrong. It has actually opened the door to more and more debilitating injuries — injuries that end seasons, even careers. A 2024 study found that NFL players are far more likely to suffer a season-ending injury on turf than on grass — a 60 percent higher chance, in fact.

The latest victim was New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, who suffered a season-ending injury Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Dart didn’t tear his ACL, but the injury will require surgery. It was also a “contact” injury, meaning a Rams player plowed into his leg. (RELATED: High-Profile Quarterback Makes NFL Return After Serious Injury)

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Non-contact injuries, on the other hand, tend to be worse, many of which occur on turf because the surface is less forgiving than grass. Cleats get stuck in turf. While soil gives, directing the energy of the planted cleat into the ground, turf does the opposite: it directs the energy up a player’s leg. Straight to their knees. Pop.

So while Dart’s injury might not have been caused by the turf, the incident highlights why we need to discuss why all NFL teams and stadium owners, with their deep pockets, cannot install and maintain safer grass fields. Maybe it’s time the league steps in and bans turf altogether.

It’s easier to have turf if you’re hosting Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran concerts. But the NFL stadium wasn’t built for music; it was built for the game. And the game and the players are better off with good, green grass.

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