Turf vs. Grass: The Controversy
The 2015 Women’s World Cup is being held in various cities in Canada this year. Women’s soccer teams from all around the nation have travelled to compete against each other, all aiming for the ultimate prize of being crowned the 2015 FIFA World Cup Champions. The Women’s World Cup, an event that occurs every four years, has been around since 1991, yet the 2015 World Cup is the most controversial one to date. The fact is that no FIFA World Cup, men's or women's, has ever been played on an artificial surface; all have previously been played on natural grass fields (Payne). That, however, would all change after this years World Cup. Cited by many as an act of sexism, there is no other solid reason why the women should be playing their matches on artificial turf fields, when the game itself is originally played on natural grass fields. FIFA forcing the women to play their tournament on artificial fields has led to lawsuits being filed, a discriminatory act being claimed, and health concerns that have garnered worldwide attention. Before the tournament, a group of sixty women players from various teams around the nation joined together and filed a lawsuit against FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association, claiming gender discrimination as the Men's World Cup has been played exclusively on grass fields (Carlisle). Just last summer, the 2014 FIFA Men’s World Cup, hosted by Brazil, was played on natural grass fields. Merely one year later, however, the women are involuntarily playing their matches on artificial fields. Although the lawsuit against FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association was dropped prior to beginning the tournament, the debate regarding the controversy will remain a topic of interest for years to come. The players dropped the lawsuit because it was made clear that there wouldn’t be any budging from FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association. In response to the dropping of the lawsuit, Wambach stated, “there’s going to be a point in which we just have to either move on or keep fighting” (Kassouf). Although the athlete’s would prefer to play on grass fields, boycotting the organization wasn’t something they planned on doing. The players said that they would do just about anything to play on “soccer’s biggest stage” (Fagan). This World Cup will prove that women are willing to mentally and physically step it up in order to compete in the given, yet unwelcome, circumstances. Artificial fields, also known as turf fields, have different qualities than grass fields that could greatly affect the athlete’s ability to play at the intensity level that they normally would on grass fields. On grass, if the ball bounces it is harder for a goalkeeper to react, but on turf the ball …show more content…
natural grass fields, natural grass will always be the athlete’s preferred choice to compete on. Turf not only affects the athlete’s overall health, but also affects the entirety of the game itself. The balls being played are more difficult to control and players are less likely to go up for headers or down for slide tackles (Geier). United States National Team member Abby Wambach stated, “The game changes, the ball rolls faster, and it’s less fun as an athlete. It should be grass stains, not blood.” Not only are the women now sacrificing their body to participate in this tournament, they are also sacrificing being on the field and enjoying what they are doing. As Wambach said, grass stains on uniforms should be their biggest worry, not their ripped, bloody, and damaged skin. FIFA has claimed that the Women’s World Cup is “the biggest women’s sporting event in the world” and that “the future of football (soccer) is feminine” (Geier). Since women are the future of the game, they deserve the same conditions and respect that the men are currently getting. In response to numerous women players taking a stand and speaking out about the controversy, it was announced that the 2019 Women’s World Cup would be held on grass fields (Kassouf). This years World Cup has let the women prove that they are tough and capable enough to play on artificial fields, something that the men will most likely never have to
The 2015 Women’s World Cup is being held in various cities in Canada this year. Women’s soccer teams from all around the nation have travelled to compete against each other, all aiming for the ultimate prize of being crowned the 2015 FIFA World Cup Champions. The Women’s World Cup, an event that occurs every four years, has been around since 1991, yet the 2015 World Cup is the most controversial one to date. The fact is that no FIFA World Cup, men's or women's, has ever been played on an artificial surface; all have previously been played on natural grass fields (Payne). That, however, would all change after this years World Cup. Cited by many as an act of sexism, there is no other solid reason why the women should be playing their matches on artificial turf fields, when the game itself is originally played on natural grass fields. FIFA forcing the women to play their tournament on artificial fields has led to lawsuits being filed, a discriminatory act being claimed, and health concerns that have garnered worldwide attention. Before the tournament, a group of sixty women players from various teams around the nation joined together and filed a lawsuit against FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association, claiming gender discrimination as the Men's World Cup has been played exclusively on grass fields (Carlisle). Just last summer, the 2014 FIFA Men’s World Cup, hosted by Brazil, was played on natural grass fields. Merely one year later, however, the women are involuntarily playing their matches on artificial fields. Although the lawsuit against FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association was dropped prior to beginning the tournament, the debate regarding the controversy will remain a topic of interest for years to come. The players dropped the lawsuit because it was made clear that there wouldn’t be any budging from FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association. In response to the dropping of the lawsuit, Wambach stated, “there’s going to be a point in which we just have to either move on or keep fighting” (Kassouf). Although the athlete’s would prefer to play on grass fields, boycotting the organization wasn’t something they planned on doing. The players said that they would do just about anything to play on “soccer’s biggest stage” (Fagan). This World Cup will prove that women are willing to mentally and physically step it up in order to compete in the given, yet unwelcome, circumstances. Artificial fields, also known as turf fields, have different qualities than grass fields that could greatly affect the athlete’s ability to play at the intensity level that they normally would on grass fields. On grass, if the ball bounces it is harder for a goalkeeper to react, but on turf the ball …show more content…
natural grass fields, natural grass will always be the athlete’s preferred choice to compete on. Turf not only affects the athlete’s overall health, but also affects the entirety of the game itself. The balls being played are more difficult to control and players are less likely to go up for headers or down for slide tackles (Geier). United States National Team member Abby Wambach stated, “The game changes, the ball rolls faster, and it’s less fun as an athlete. It should be grass stains, not blood.” Not only are the women now sacrificing their body to participate in this tournament, they are also sacrificing being on the field and enjoying what they are doing. As Wambach said, grass stains on uniforms should be their biggest worry, not their ripped, bloody, and damaged skin. FIFA has claimed that the Women’s World Cup is “the biggest women’s sporting event in the world” and that “the future of football (soccer) is feminine” (Geier). Since women are the future of the game, they deserve the same conditions and respect that the men are currently getting. In response to numerous women players taking a stand and speaking out about the controversy, it was announced that the 2019 Women’s World Cup would be held on grass fields (Kassouf). This years World Cup has let the women prove that they are tough and capable enough to play on artificial fields, something that the men will most likely never have to