Chip: The Big Ten should put an end to bowl arrangements held in baseball stadiums because field conditions deteriorate and threaten player safety.

[Ope3]

Totally different animal.

Of course it is. I think it's probably more difficult and expensive to put an ice rink on a baseball diamond than a artificial turf football field. Just a guess.

I read at Target Field they had to replace the entire infield after the Wild game last year, but they were planning on doing it anyway.

 

[1983]

They put hockey rinks on baseball fields, I would think they could put a football field over a baseball diamond.

May need to resod, but with an unlimited budget anything is doable.

The issue is not the top surface, it is the base. It would demolish the field especially this time of year. Natural turf for football and baseball are different.

 

[Word]

The Big Ten has enough power to not have to make deals for bowl games in baseball stadiums. This fiasco is on the big ten and hopefully they learn from it.

Though didn’t they recently sign off on a conference game at Wrigley? So clearly they haven’t learned.

Wrigley is probably fine if it's pre-November.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

Nothing wrong the stadiums or locations, it's just the field.

They need to truck in artificial turf football fields to lay down, for these games. That's the only real issue.

There’s a lot wrong with the stadiums though. This is like playing basketball in a football stadium but without rearranging the seats in the entire lower bowl.

 

[Ope3]

Wrigley is probably fine if it's pre-November.

Even into mid-November it should be fine. Heck the World Series could be the first week of November. Game 5 at Wrigley was on Oct 30, 2016.

 

[#2Gopher]

Of course it is. I think it's probably more difficult and expensive to put an ice rink on a baseball diamond than a artificial turf football field. Just a guess.

I read at Target Field they had to replace the entire infield after the Wild game last year, but they were planning on doing it anyway.

It was good timing to have a game at Target Field due to the destruction of the field caused by the event. All who attended had a great time except for those badly under dressed for this game. The atmosphere among the fans was awesome.

 

[PMWinSTP]

Of course it is. I think it's probably more difficult and expensive to put an ice rink on a baseball diamond than a artificial turf football field. Just a guess.

I read at Target Field they had to replace the entire infield after the Wild game last year, but they were planning on doing it anyway.

The opposite for sure. They do ice rinks like those frequently. City puts one up in DT St Paul every year with cooling system and large pop-up warming house. Way less expensive. U did it maybe 10 years ago for weekend series against Ohio State.

 

[Ope3]

The opposite for sure. They do ice rinks like those frequently. City puts one up in DT St Paul every year with cooling system and large pop-up warming house. Way less expensive. U did it maybe 10 years ago for weekend series against Ohio State.

That was a combo with the Wild though sharing the expenses and underneath was an artificial surface.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

There’s a lot wrong with the stadiums though. This is like playing basketball in a football stadium but without rearranging the seats in the entire lower bowl.

If this is the price we have to pay for the honor of playing in the crown jewel of all civilization, then so be it. We were lucky to pay $400 per night to buy dollar slices of pizza (for $1.50) and cheap hot dogs while the stench of human feces and urine danced in our nostrils. New York is really a majestic place and I know our Gopher fans will cherish their $45 chinese-made tchotchkes forever. Well I mean, at least the cultured ones, you know that like spicy foods, hate all-inclusives, and realize there is absolutely no crime problem in New York (despite what new yorkers say).

So what if that person didn't get to see the game? I mean, they got to look at New York City.

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

The issue is not the top surface, it is the base. It would demolish the field especially this time of year. Natural turf for football and baseball are different.

The answer is obvious that they didn’t consult Carl -

 

[Some guy]

Nothing wrong the stadiums or locations, it's just the field.

They need to truck in artificial turf football fields to lay down, for these games. That's the only real issue.

You’re more likely to have a major injury on turf than grass

 

[PMWinSTP]

That was a combo with the Wild though sharing the expenses and underneath was an artificial surface.

No I've skated on it, real ice. Full rink, watched them clean it. Winter Carnival.

 

[Ope3]

No I've skated on it, real ice. Full rink, watched them clean it. Winter Carnival.

I meant underneath the ice when it was at the Bank, was an artificial surface. Didn't have to worry about tearing up sod with the refrigeration, rink & equipment.

 

[PMWinSTP]

I meant underneath the ice when it was at the Bank, was an artificial surface. Didn't have to worry about tearing up sod with the refrigeration, rink & equipment.

They all have a undersurface that contains the chiller system. Not sure what you mean?

 

[Ope3]

They all have a undersurface that contains the chiller system. Not sure what you mean?

In post 37 you mentioned they put a rink in at the The Bank. When they did that, they didn't have to worry about doing damage to the artificial football playing surface underneath. At Target Field all that stuff caused damage to the sod baseball field, but they were going to replace it anyway. That's all.

 

[disco]

Is that even possible?

Allegiant in Las Vegas is home to the Raiders and UNLV. Raiders play on grass. UNLV plays on artificial turf. Anything is possible.

The turf for the G-Rate, Holiday, and Pinstripe Bowl is unacceptable. I don't know what you do about Yankee Stadium (or Fenway - I didn't see that bowl) with unheated fields in cold weather climates except not have bowls there. (I'm not taking Bob's bait on NYC as a city - that's done.)

But for the G-Rate, and I said this before, there is NO reason that game should not be held at Sun Devil Stadium if they don't/can't have it at the Cardinals stadium where the Fiesta Bowl is. I suspect it's a downtown tourism interest thing.

In fairness to San Diego, they didn't HAVE a football stadium until this year. After Jack Murphy was torn down, SDSU was playing up in Carson until the new stadium was built which took a few years. They have a contract with Petco for a couple more years, and then we'll see if they move to Snapdragon, which looks like a great stadium.

 

[disco]

So any game on grass in rain or snow should be stopped? Playing devil's advocate. Seems rich to play games in multiple inches of snow and rain, but complain about these conditions. Maybe force all indoor stadiums for games.

I've said for some time (and admittedly, it's not a popular opinion) that the league should mandate all NFL stadiums have identical artificial turf. You'd still have weather related effects on games, but you wouldn't have bad turf issues (like that game in Pittsburgh where the re-sodded the field twice in a weekend and someone's shoe disappeared into the field and they never found it.)

I coach youth football and the kids I coach, if they play through high school, will likely never play a single game on natural grass.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Me and my Vols! -chip

 

[highwayman]

NRG Stadium in Houston has trays of turf that have caused issues. Baseball stadiums have had poor turf. Soldier field has had poor turf. Some are heated, some aren't

Players in the NFL are calling for getting rid of artificial turf. What is the solution when you are playing indoors, outdoors, in 90 degrees and -5 degrees?

Wonder what the players would say if their choice was Metlife Stadium or Yankee Stadium?

The players in the NFL have been calling for all grass to be eliminated…so that shoots that.

 

[PMWinSTP]

Allegiant in Las Vegas is home to the Raiders and UNLV. Raiders play on grass. UNLV plays on artificial turf. Anything is possible.

The turf for the G-Rate, Holiday, and Pinstripe Bowl is unacceptable. I don't know what you do about Yankee Stadium (or Fenway - I didn't see that bowl) with unheated fields in cold weather climates except not have bowls there. (I'm not taking Bob's bait on NYC as a city - that's done.)

But for the G-Rate, and I said this before, there is NO reason that game should not be held at Sun Devil Stadium if they don't/can't have it at the Cardinals stadium where the Fiesta Bowl is. I suspect it's a downtown tourism interest thing.

In fairness to San Diego, they didn't HAVE a football stadium until this year. After Jack Murphy was torn down, SDSU was playing up in Carson until the new stadium was built which took a few years. They have a contract with Petco for a couple more years, and then we'll see if they move to Snapdragon, which looks like a great stadium.

That's a $2 billion stadium in Vegas where the grass is on a tray that rolls over the artificial turf. Those are permanent, not temporary.

 

[GophersInIowa]

There’s a lot wrong with the stadiums though. This is like playing basketball in a football stadium but without rearranging the seats in the entire lower bowl.

Fenway puts the field from home plate to right field so people can sit down the 1st base line get a decent view. I think they put both teams on the opposite sideline though so that’s weird.

 

[disco]

The players in the NFL have been calling for all grass to be eliminated…so that shoots that.

No, I think it's the other way around. They want artificial turf eliminated.
This is one article about it, but just google "eliminate artificial turf NFL" and there's a bunch of these articles.

NFLPA President Tretter Calls for NFL Teams to Remove Artificial Turf

Citing data on turf’s harsh impact on the body, JC Tretter called for all NFL franchises to make their fields natural grass.

frontofficesports.com

But artificial turf today is not like the original Superturf surface of the Metrodome, which was basically boat carpet laid over a concrete floor. It's very forgiving. I know there are some health concerns about the ground up tires used as the base for some of those fields, but those could be dealt with.

 

[disco]

Fenway puts the field from home plate to right field so people can sit down the 1st base line get a decent view. I think they put both teams on the opposite sideline though so that’s weird.

I really wanted to take my son to the G-rate bowl last year, but time and finances just didn't work out. Then I saw the setup for the game, and I was really glad we didn't go.

 

[WindyCityGopher]

The Big Ten has enough power to not have to make deals for bowl games in baseball stadiums. This fiasco is on the big ten and hopefully they learn from it.

Though didn’t they recently sign off on a conference game at Wrigley? So clearly they haven’t learned.

Wrigley is probably fine if it's pre-November.

No matter the time of year, Wrigley's playing surface would be better for football than the NFL stadium in town, which is a notorious dog track. So sometimes football stadiums don't automatically offer superior turf.

 

[rgv2]

You’re more likely to have a major injury on turf than grass

I'll play 100 times out of 100 on the new turf they have now than grass. I remember getting the new turf in college between freshman and sophomore year and seeing how much better it was. Calling what was in Yankee stadium "grass" is an insult to all grass football fields everywhere.

 

[Some guy]

I'll play 100 times out of 100 on the new turf they have now than grass. I remember getting the new turf in college and knowing how much better it was. Calling what was in Yankee stadium "grass" is an insult to all grass football fields everywhere.

I didn’t say anything about what is better to play on.
But saying it’s a health risk is just wrong. The more give a field has the less likely you are to get the major tendon ligament issues as the tendons and ligaments snap when the tendon and ligament cant handle the force. When your foot slips you literally can’t put as much force on your tendons/ligaments

I would rather play on turf than bad grass
I would rather play on good grass than turf
I would rather not play at all as I am old and it would hurt

 

[GoGophersUMN]

I'll play 100 times out of 100 on the new turf they have now than grass. I remember getting the new turf in college between freshman and sophomore year and seeing how much better it was. Calling what was in Yankee stadium "grass" is an insult to all grass football fields everywhere.

There are 32% more non-contact knee injuries and 69% more non-contact foot and ankle injuries on turf than grass in the NFL. Turf might be more consistent and better in extreme weather but grass is safer.

 

[rgv2]

There are 32% more non-contact knee injuries and 69% more non-contact foot and ankle injuries on turf than grass in the NFL. Turf might be more consistent and better in extreme weather but grass is safer.

Disagree. I'll take the new turf over grass 7days a week, and twice on Sunday. Especially after that hot garbage the all holy yankees rolled out Thursday.

 

[alchemy2u]

The B1G has got to live up to who they are and refuse to play games in such BS parks. The field wasn’t suited for a football game. No NFL team would have played on that excuse for grass! It was an embarrassment for the Yankees, the B1G and the sponsor should ask for their money back.

 

[Gophers_4life]

You’re more likely to have a major injury on turf than grass

This is true if the grass is in good condition.

That wasn't the case in the Pinstripe bowl.