Turf For Summertime Baseball
America's pastime, baseball has long been a recreational sport associated with summer
. With the hot summer days and large influxes of players ravaging fields, it is no wonder that many sports parks and professional baseball organizations are choosing synthetic grass fields over natural grass because of the many safety and cost related benefits.For the past forty some years, synthetic grass has been the premiere choice for Major League Baseball fields across the United States, with the famous Houston Astrodome being the first to install artificial grass in 1966. Artificial grass was originally chosen because the futuristic, semi-transparent panels of the Lucite dome prevented natural grass from getting enough sunlight to survive, hence they needed a surface like synthetic grass that didn't require sun to grow.
Since then synthetic sports turf fields have been installed in newer baseball stadiums including Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida and the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Sports field turf for baseball has become such a growing trend that many acclaimed college and university teams have chosen to play their games on synthetic grass over natural grass. Some of these institutions include Kent State University, Columbia University, Cornell, University of Texas and the University of Cincinnati to name a few.
The texture of synthetic grass is also ideal for a sport like baseball, as some studies indicate that synthetic grass has traction that is likely comparable to that of natural grass. This is because the polyethylene blades create a surface that is not too hard or too slippery to play on, thus preventing slippage and possible injuries. This type of artificial sports field turf is so traction friendly that it is perfect for athletes to pivot and assume the many baseball stances and positions in their cleats.
Additionally, the infill layer that synthetic grass baseball fields have built in, make the surface much safer for players. This infill layer is comprised of sand and small rubber particles that lie in between the synthetic grass blades, creating a cushion that minimizes possible injuries and impact, especially important for outfielders maneuvering to capture the ball.
The infill layer in synthetic grass also provides a smooth consistent surface that acts like natural grass when it comes to ball bouncing. With artificial grass, the baseball can bounce and land just as if the players were conducting a game on regular grass. Since ball response is such an integral part of the game, it's vital that the playing surface lend itself to this.
Synthetic sports field turf is also used at The Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina a multi-field baseball complex created by veteran baseball player, Cal Ripken Jr. an his brother, Bill Ripken. With three fields, modeled after historic parks like the Polo Grounds of New York, Cominsky Park in Chicago and Forbes Field in Pittsburgh; The Ripken Experience chose to use artificial grass over natural grass because of its overall durability.
There are many cost savings for baseball stadium owners as well, as synthetic fields don't require the same time intensive maintenance of trimming, watering and mowing that traditional fields need. As you can see, baseball has been on the forefront of the artificial grass trend and continues to be the first choice for Major League Baseball.
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