When playing sports, athletes often experience serious injuries. High school sports are extremely tough on athletes because for the ones who want to further their athletic career at the next level, they have to compete against 8 million other athletes (“Articles-1”). Of that 8 million, only 7% go to the collegiate level, and for the hopeful, missing a week of practice could make or break an athlete's college athletic career (“Varsity Odds”). Missing time in a sport, or any activity for that matter, is incredibly disheartening to athletes. NFL players and many other professional athletes are paid to perform at the best of their ability and when they are injured, they are unable to bring in money for themselves or their families. There are many factors that can be blamed for an injury. The world of sports is rapidly changing, athletes across the globe are sustaining injuries at a shocking rate. No athlete wants to be sidelined for a season due to injury, so preventative treatment is necessary to ensure the safety of athletes and to preserve their ability to enjoy their sport.

In the 2023 NFL Season, fans have already seen an unheard of number of injuries. In week 1 alone, NFL spectators witnessed two devastating injuries, ending both players' seasons. One of these injuries happened to NFL veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was making his highly anticipated debut for the New York Jets. On the third play of the game, Rodgers was taken down in the backfield and was slow to get up. Rodgers took a knee to signal the referee that he was hurt. Rodgers was then carted off of the field and examined in the teams locker room. The replay of the play showed what looked like a calf or ankle injury. Rodgers was diagnosed later with a tear of his achilles tendon, ending his season before it even started. Players were livid after the NFL executive board downplayed Rodger’s injury and the other injury sustained in the opening week of the NFL. Jeff Miller, who is the NFLs Executive Vice President for health and safety innovations, was interviewed by CBS news. There he stated “Historically there is no difference in the injury tear of achilles injuries between natural grass and synthetic turf dating back to 2015” (Miller). Miller’s statement is very general and true; however, Matt Manocherian, Senior Vice President for Football and Data Analytics at Sports Info Solution (SIS) and former NFL scout, wrote an article comparing many different scenarios regarding injuries on turf compared to grass. His research concluded the injuries players sustained were more prominent on turf than on grass. He provides a number of charts and data tables displaying his findings. From 2017 to 2020, a total of 1024 NFL games have been played, 587 on grass and 437 on turf. Turf fields, on average, record more injuries per game than grass fields and more total injuries on turf compared to grass.  There is a 7.8 percent difference in the number of injuries sustained on those surfaces (SIS Database). The SIS Injury Database and Manocherian found the injuries sustained on turf fields were due to contact and there were near identical matches in terms of non contact injuries on both playing surfaces. 

An alarming discovery found by the SIS and Manocherian was an increase in head injuries on turf. The fact head injuries are more common on turf makes sense given the nature of the playing field, leading to players absorbing almost all of the contact when hitting the ground. Anthony Richardson, rookie quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, violently hit his head on the ground after coming into contact with an opposing player and was later diagnosed with a concussion. In Manocherian’s study, there was an 18 percent increase relating to head injuries on turf compared to grass (Manocherian). In recent times, the NFL has worked with helmet companies to make the game safer for players after seeing the effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) on a player. CTE is a brain condition, linkable to various other head injuries. The condition slowly worsens over time and can later lead to dementia. For Manocherian, the most surprising finding was that lower leg and knee injuries decreased on turf fields when compared to grass fields. NFL player JC Tretter mentioned, “Whenever I practiced on an artificial field surface, my joints felt noticeably stiffer the next day” acknowledging the impact of artificial surfaces (Tretter). While the difference was small and inconsistent from year to year, previous research from the NFL indicated these were precisely the injuries artificial turf induced, so finding there no Substantial difference in this sample is notable (Manocherian).

The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) and the National Football League (NFL) hope to develop an artificial surface with the same nature as grass, but also meet a team of biochemical engineers' specifications. J.C.Tretter, now the current President of the NFLPA and former NFL offensive lineman for both the Green Bay Packers and the Cleveland Browns, noted as he left college, he "played almost exclusively on synthetic turf” and once he entered the NFL, he remembers “the collective groan that my older teammates made whenever it was announced that we’d be practicing indoors on artificial turf instead of the usual outdoor grass field” (Tretter). Players, however, have made it clear they feel more uncomfortable on turf than on grass and the anecdotal data from Tretter and other players supports this belief: 

Artificial turf is significantly harder on the body than grass. Based on NFL 

injury data collected from 2012 to 2018… players have a 28% higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries when playing on artificial turf. Of those non-contact injuries, players have a 32% higher rate of non-contact knee injuries on turf and a staggering 69% higher rate of non-contact foot/ankle injuries on turf compared to grass. (Tretter)

Physics plays a crucial role in the injury rates too. Professional football players put extremely high levels of force and rotation onto the playing surface. Grass will eventually give, which often releases the cleat prior to reaching an injurious load. On synthetic surfaces, there is less give, meaning players' lower joints absorb the force, which makes injury more likely to follow.

The whole concept of playing on a non-grass surface began in 1965 with the introduction of Astroturf into the NFL in the Iconic Houston Astrodome. The NFL used Astroturf as a way to enhance the viewers' pleasure. Greg Buttle, a former NFL linebacker, mentioned “It certainly made the game faster” (Buttle). Due to the harder, springier surface, astroturf enabled players to run faster than on grass, and speed became more highly valued. Soon, fans saw the emergence of NFL legends in Jim Brown and Walter Payton, both running backs in the 1960s and 70s. They used the nature of the turf to dash past opponents with ease. This advancement came with some major consequences. The 60s and 70s did not have the medical advancements of today, and because of this fact, many athletes had misdiagnosed, poorly treated, or not treated at all injuries. The NFL did not realize the safety of players was threatened until the 1990s when field turf, a softer and safer form of synthetic grass, was introduced, leading to the extinction of astroturf (“Game Innovations Astroturf”). 

Field turf was outdated in the year 2023 and the NFLPA has made it known that a change is needed. In order to make a difference, the NFLPA and the NFL have worked closely with biochemical engineers and cleat manufacturers to make it safe for players to compete on synthetic fields and to meet the players’ individual needs. This process could potentially take years, so as of now, the NFLPA is pushing NFL teams to convert their synthetic fields back to natural grass.

Athletic trainers (AT) are vital parts of professional sports organizations and schools. About ten years ago, 42 percent of secondary schools had access to an AT (National Library of Medicine). Now, 67 percent of schools have an AT and the demand for ATs is on the rise, growing 14 percent from 2022-23, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Meeting the demand is a lot more challenging than one would think. In an interview, Westerly High School’s AT Kate Noonan recalled her seven years to complete her schooling before she could practice. Noonan attended Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, where she was “originally on a pre physical therapy route, then Merrimack introduced what athletic trainers did and introduced it as a major when we got to school,” Her reasoning as to why she wanted to become an AT, is because she was a high school athlete. “Then I actually changed my major to athletic training”(Noonan). She graduated from Merrimack in 2015 with a bachelors of science. She had multiple injuries over the course of her high school career placing her in physical therapy. Noonan’s school at the time did not have an athletic training program. She returned to school for her masters in athletic training at Lasell University because, in order to practice athletic training, a masters degree is needed. In order to receive an AT license, students must pass a four hour board exam. Once the exam is completed, ATs may enter the workforce.

The schooling required for Noonan and all other ATs to practice is not the hardest aspect of the career. Noonan stated that the hardest part about finding a position after she graduated from college was finding a clinic or school system willing to respect her degree (Noonan). Top earners in the trade can make up to seventy thousand dollars per year at the professional sports level, but in a school system, ATs make an average of fifty thousand dollars per year. Noonan now works at Westerly High School where she can see up to 15 athletes per day. When asked what the most challenging part of her job was, she commented on the ability to multitask (Noonan). Noonan cups, tapes, and works out knots in order for young athletes to stay healthy. She also has to deal with more serious injuries at games. The most common injuries she encounters involves cramps and sprains; however, she has seen more gruesome injuries. She recalled a compound fracture on a softball player's leg, a broken orbital bone from a soccer game and a broken back from a football collision (Noonan). Even though she has treated all of these injuries, she loves what she does. Noonan also believes that beyond treating athlete, forming relationships with them and providing excellent care in helping them succeed is another benefit to her position (Noonan).

While athletic trainers are partially responsible for keeping athletes on the field, the rest of the responsibility lies with the athletes. Athletes can harm themselves because of improper diet and use of illegal substances. Diet is a major factor in terms of allowing athletes to stay on the field. Food is an athlete's fuel for their bodies. When refueling a car, the owner would most likely put the proper gas into the tank, but if the owner fills the tank with diesel, then the car would not function the way it should. Improper diet disallows a body to use vitamins and minerals to sustain itself and grow. Junk food is one of the most harmful things an athlete can put in their body. Many ingredients in junk food can cause inflammation and also lack healthy substances like healthy fats, healthy carbohydrates, and protein. Athletes need healthy fats, carbs, and proteins to perform at the best of their abilities. There have been, however, many cases where athletes have put illegal substances in their bodies to enhance performance. Steroids are illegal in sports because they allow athletes to produce hormones and build muscle mass. In a study completed by New York State Department of Health, researchers found, “Believing that anabolic steroids can improve competitiveness and performance, uninformed or misguided athletes, sometimes encouraged by coaches or parents, abuse these drugs to build lean muscle mass, promote aggressiveness, and increase body weight”(“Winning At Any Cost”), thus making the playing field unfair and unsafe for other athletes. 

The success of an athlete's career is the responsibility of both the athlete and their training staff. Numerous injuries can and do occur, and many can be prevented. People often believe that more injuries occur on turf fields; however, the SIS Injury Database and Matt Manocherian’s  works found that knee injuries are more common on natural grass. In order for an athlete to have success in their sports, they must work closely with their coaches and training staff along with sustaining a healthy diet. Players have to work with their league in order to have their voices heard when change is needed. Athletes are investments for teams, coaches, and training staff need to listen to their players in order for their team to be successful. The world of sports is rapidly changing. Athletes are stronger and faster than they have ever been before, meaning teams, leagues and sports should accommodate athletes in order to prevent many injuries in the future.

Works Cited

“Anabolic Steroids and Sports: Winning at Any Cost.” www.health.ny.gov, Oct. 2008, www.health.ny.gov/publications/1210/#:~:text=Anabolic%20steroids%20help%20build%20muscle.

“Articles-1.” Www.ncsasports.org, www.ncsasports.org/articles-1/high-school-sports.

Benjamin, Cody.  “NFL Working with NFLPA on Turf Safety Concerns, Suggests Aaron Rodgers Injury Won’t Affect Jets TV Schedule.” CBSSports.com, 12 Sept. 2023, www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-working-with-nflpa-on-turf-safety-concerns-suggests-aaron-rodgers-injury-wont-affect-jets-tv-schedule/. Accessed 20 Sept. 2023.

‌Cooper, Bud. “Why Aren’t Athletic Trainers Mandated to Be a Part of Any High School Athletic Staff.” The Courier-Journal, 10 May 2023, www.courier-journal.com/story/opinion/2023/05/10/high-schools-need-athletic-trainers-why-arent-they-on-school-staff/70159324007/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%202019%2D2020. Accessed 10 Oct. 2023.

Dajani, Jordan. “NFLPA Calls for ‘Moving All Stadium Fields’  to Natural Grass in Wake of Aaron Rodgers’ Season-Ending Injury.” CBSSports.com, 13 Sept. 2023, www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nflpa-calls-for-moving-all-stadium-fields-to-natural-grass-in-wake-of-aaron-rodgers-season-ending-injury/.

‌Manocherian, Matt. “The Effect of Turf on Injuries in the NFL.” Sports Info Solutions, 8 Nov. 2022, www.sportsinfosolutions.com/2022/11/08/the-effect-of-turf-on-injuries-in-the-nfl/.

“NFL 100.” NFL.com, 2019, www.nfl.com/100/originals/100-greatest/game-changers-31#:~:text=Astroturf%2C%20a%20hard%2C%20synthetic%20alternative.

Noonan, Kate. Interview. Conducted by Jake Perkins. 28 Sept. 2023.

“Odds of a High School Athlete Making a College Team | Scholarship Stats.com.” ScholarshipStats.com, scholarshipstats.com/varsityodds.

Pryor, Riana R., et al. “Athletic Training Services in Public Secondary Schools: A Benchmark Study.” Journal of Athletic Training, vol. 50, no. 2, Feb. 2015, pp. 156–162, doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-50.2.03.

Tretter, J.C. “Only Natural Grass Can Level the NFL’s Playing Field.” NFL Players Association, 2019, nflpa.com/posts/only-natural-grass-can-level-the-nfls-playing-field.