Why heat safety matters for NJ players on astroturf fields

When it comes to sports, there's something about astroturf, or artificial fields, that absolutely benefits sports play. Probably the most straightforward reason is the fact that it's not grass.

No mud, no mowing, none of that. Just get those lines painted, and you'll be pretty much good to go. And since astroturf doesn't grow, there's never that fear of having to repaint again and again and again.

Not to mention, you don't have to water them. In fact, that's a major perk of those artificial fields right there.

Sure, debris will need to be cleaned off, but that's often the case for real grass fields, too. And with more of these fields popping up around the state, it's easy to see the benefits.

That is, until the summer months. And more specifically, during heat waves. That's when those fields can become dangerous.

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I remember this from when my son played youth football. One of the fields they went to play games on was an astroturf field. And I have to tell you, those fields were very impressive to see. They were just so perfectly maintained.

However, because it wasn't real grass, that field got dangerously hot in the 90-degree heat. And I mean very noticeably different.

The fields that had grass didn't get anywhere near as hot. Actually, the real grass gave a cooling effect that you definitely noticed when compared to the artificial field.

In fact, the artificial turf literally felt like it could burn you. Trust me, if you've never been on those fields in the extreme heat before, it's something you'd want to avoid.

Simply put, those fields are not natural, and that material absorbs all that heat from the sun. And for that reason alone, those fields should be avoided for any kind of sport during extremely hot weather.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.