Football Should Be Played on Real Grass

Robert Griffin III just injured his knee so seriously that he may not be able to return for the 2013/2014 season – that's tragic – it 's criminal in my mind. The man just started playing football – and now he has a major injury that may end his career prematurely. He might have to wait until the 2014/2015 season to return to work. Why? Because the television studios want to get a bright green background on their football fields rather than photograph the beauty of real grass????

Paint the grass green if need be – toss the uniforms and replace them after every game, don't sacrifice the player's limbs in the name of having a beautiful set. Does that make any sense? You can spray paint the lines, use vegetable dye on the field, and stencil a new logo on a grass field. Why would you play on anything else?

Professional athletes are asked to throw themselves on playing surfaces that are about as accommodating as a cement floor. If it were you, your child, your nephew, your friend – how would you feel about it? Isn't the point of OSHA to make sure everyone is working in a safe environment? When are they going to contact the NFL and ask them to straighten up! How painful it must be to have ten guys piled on top of you and your back is against an asphalt ground in a fiberglass helmet.

Think of all of the athletes whose careers could be saved if the players had been working on a surface that was meant for the sport? Are soccer players asked to play on hardwood? Are basketball players asked to play on ice? Are baseball players asked to play on gravel? What have football players done to be treated so disrespectfully? I urge the Football Players Union to take the initiative and fight for their players – no one makes money when the players can't play the game – let them play on real grass and save their legs and ankles!