Over the past few years, data has seemed to indicate that injuries are more likely to occur on slit-film artificial turf than on other forms of artificial turf. The Cincinnati Bengals were one of the only teams in the league that still had a slit-film field, but they have recently announced plans to replace it this offseason.
This week, the Cincinnati Bengals and Hamilton County announced plans to install a FieldTurf Core system in place of the slit-film surface. FieldTurf is also used in the NFL stadiums in Atlanta, Carolina, Detroit, New England, New York, and Seattle.
“Hamilton County and the Bengals are committed to providing a top-level playing surface for NFL games, and this step confirms that commitment,” Paycor Stadium managing director Steve Johnson said in a statement according to ESPN.
Data over the past several years has indicated that natural grass playing surfaces are safer than artificial turf of any kind.
Johnson nor the Cincinnati Bengals addressed the decision to continue using a different type of artificial turf over a natural grass playing surface. However, most teams that use artificial turf prefer the surface to allow the stadium to be used as a multi-purpose facility and concert venue, not just for football games.
[ESPN]
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