In this era of college sports and technology, not sure why Purdue is sticking with a grass surface?...
I would agree. The one time investment would be large. But the ongoing expense vs real grass would be minimal. Even a lot of high schools are changing over. And with the type of offense we run and the weather in WL, it seems dumb to continue with real grass.
This year's likely gonna have alot of asterisks around it. And alot of coaches have already given back some salary, so don't think it will matter.
Our high school’s field turf cost about $500K I believe. I doubt the expense is the reason they’re not switching.
That's all good. I don't have that short of a memory or selective recall as I wasn't part of any discussion about it here. But when you play in the late fall/early winter in northern IN, why not just make the change and not have to worry about a torn up field? Just seems like a simpler approach...
it was within the last year or so (my memory isn't the best, so it could have been longer) but we seemed to go fairly long into a thread with the same points/counterpoints.
) it absorbs carbon dioxide.
No arguments here about the superlatives of a lush green natural playing surface. However, the issue at hand is maintaining that field through prolonged inclement growing conditions. Green Bay, Baltimore and other cold climate NFL stadiums with natural grass have expensive, complex heating coil systems and grow lights that stave off dormancy when old man winter starts rolling in. And when that fails to produce a satisfactory surface, they can lay sod in between games. Purdue doesn't have those kind of resources. And it wouldn't be a good investment. The NFL plays into January every single year. College rarely goes past Thanksgiving. I would consider the Ross-Ade bermudagrass to be on the margin by the time Thanksgiving rolls around on an average year. Mine isn't an argument for switching to an artificial surface, but for this one season I think they should have an alternate (indoor) location lined up for the last 1-2 home games.it was within the last year or so (my memory isn't the best, so it could have been longer) but we seemed to go fairly long into a thread with the same points/counterpoints.
Natural grass has it's advantages. As does turf. There are reasons NFL venues, with all the money they've had pouring in (not so much lately, and for good reason), choose to use natural grass. Even in Green Bay. Ditto the places with artificial turf.
As a player, I much preferred natural grass over turf for any sport. It's MUCH, much cooler. It's more forgiving (reducing injuries). And, for all those enviro-weenies (j/k!
A few years back, the Baltimore Ravens went from turf to grass. Baltimore. (They have similar winters, and play more games.) If the decision is so clear-cut, they wouldn't have made the change.
As a Purdue alumnus, there's no way I ever want to see artificial turf in R-A stadium. It's not me being "stubborn", or any other such b.s. It's simply my preference, and it's not even close.
No arguments here about the superlatives of a lush green natural playing surface. However, the issue at hand is maintaining that field through prolonged inclement growing conditions. Green Bay, Baltimore and other cold climate NFL stadiums with natural grass have expensive, complex heating coil systems and grow lights that stave off dormancy when old man winter starts rolling in. And when that fails to produce a satisfactory surface, they can lay sod in between games. Purdue doesn't have those kind of resources. And it wouldn't be a good investment. The NFL plays into January every single year. College rarely goes past Thanksgiving. I would consider the Ross-Ade bermudagrass to be on the margin by the time Thanksgiving rolls around on an average year. Mine isn't an argument for switching to an artificial surface, but for this one season I think they should have an alternate (indoor) location lined up for the last 1-2 home games.
Back to the schedule, I was kind of hoping we would play Michigan on Dec 5 and turn up the AC in the visitor's locker room.
When i used to play in high school i loved turf mainly because its easier to play on in bad weather. I remember playing pike in either 2009 or 2010 and we had 6 straight days of rain. It turned into an absolute mud bowl. You could barely run let alone get footing to block. Wish that we had turf in that game.
In ideal weather, I'm sure a lot of athletes prefer grass. Unfortunately, Purdue doesn't always play in ideal weather. That's the point of the original post.
