NFL to Standardize Field Surfaces Using New Metrics (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: This Super Bowl weekend, the battle between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks will be played on grass, not turf. That might not be something that matters to viewers, but to the players, it can be a big deal.

[00:00:13] Speaker 2: 92% of these players say they prefer grass. Yeah. As chief medical officer of the NFL, what do you do with that?

[00:00:19] Speaker 3: I think we have to understand why is that. Number one, it's performance. So I've got to be able to execute the movements that I need to do to do my job and do it well. But secondly, how does my body feel after playing on that?

[00:00:30] Speaker 1: If you think about it, it makes sense. Typically, grass is softer, meaning it can be easier on the joints and can provide a player with better traction, which is important when you're making sharp movements on the field. The NFL's latest data actually shows that there are no significant differences when it comes to the number of injuries on grass versus turf. But what they want to do is essentially level the playing field by implementing a series of standards that all fields will need to meet by 2028. They're doing this by using tools that measure surface hardness and traction.

[00:01:06] Speaker 4: It gives us that bounce back, that energy return to the body. So what they're feeling when they step on her foot, rotational traction, so twisting of the cleat and translational traction, so a sliding of the cleat.

[00:01:16] Speaker 2: Do you think that we're going to get to that point where you look at 30 NFL stadiums and they basically all have a uniform surface?

[00:01:22] Speaker 3: I do. In the last 10 years, we've seen helmets change dramatically and that's really improved their safety. I think you're about to see the same thing happen in the surface industry.