Could Ohio State football be played on grass again soon?

For decades, the Ohio State football team played its games on grass. Some of the most iconic games in Ohio State football history were on grass in the Shoe. It wasn’t until 2007 that they decided to put turf into the stadium, much to the chagrin of a lot of fans.

Since that 2007 season, the Buckeyes have had turf. They just replaced the turf prior to the start of this season. It was sold as a recruiting tool, something that would make the team faster as a whole. Now there might be discussions of taking it out entirely.

If you’ve followed the NFL, then you know members of the NFLPA have called for the immediate removal of all slit-based turf in NFL stadiums. They claim that there is a higher injury rate than in games played on grass. Ryan Day was asked about that today at his press conference.

The Ohio State football program is having ongoing discussions about playing on turf vs grass at Ohio Stadium.

Day said he was not aware of what discussions were happening. An Ohio State spokesperson then spoke up and said that the turf is tested twice a year and will continue to be, but there are ongoing discussions regarding turf being at Ohio Stadium. He pretty much left it at that.

What does that mean? It could mean a host of things. They might discuss it and decide to leave the turf in. They also could discuss it and decide to put natural grass back in there. The spokesperson didn’t lean one way or the other based on his brief comments.

I think games should be played on grass personally. It softens the blow when you are tackled as opposed to the turf. You also seem to get fewer structural tears in ligaments on grass. Even though the NFL came out and said turf is equally as safe, I’m not so sure about that.

I also just love the way grass looks in an outdoor stadium. I know some fans are concerned that it would slow the Buckeyes down and be a disadvantage. Well, they’re already faster than their opponents would be anyway, and if both teams play on the same grass, Ohio State is still going to be faster.

It’s quite possible, even probable, that nothing comes out of this. I just thought it was something very interesting coming out of the press conference today.