Stadium Central

Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots, has decided to scrap their natural turf and install Field Turf. The field crew has had a difficult time maintaining the grass, and numerous people have complained about the condition. This conversion increases the number of teams with artificial turf fields in the NFL to 14, with 18 still using natural grass. While the new artificial turfs are much easier on the eyes of viewers, I am still a purist who loves to see the grass stains on uniforms and the mud on those rainy days. Time will tell how many more teams decide to go with artificial turf. Already, Baltimore, Cincinnati, New Yorks, and NE have converted grass fields to artificial turf. If I had to guess who would convert to artificial next, I would have to put my money on Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, two northern cities where the NFL stadium also plays host to college football. Let's hope, however, that this trend will not continue and field crews can figure out a way to keep a grass field looking good throughout a season.