The Ohio House representatives behind it — along with the National Football League Players Association, which tacked on its support after finding that 93% of NFL players prefer grass fields — see artificial turf as a workplace safety issue and hope to make Ohio the first state in the country to regulate professional playing surfaces.
“The question is, should these athletes be playing on natural grass or turf fields? We have an answer,” said Preble County Rep. Rodney Creech, R-West Alexandria, on Tuesday. Creech was joined by Cleveland Democrat Terrence Upchurch and Andrew Morris, public policy council for the NFLPA.
Creech, whose district contains parts of Montgomery and Butler counties, said there are almost three times as many lower extremity injuries on artificial grass than natural grass, including significantly higher risks of fractures and more serious concussions, according to studies from the National Center for Health Research.
Despite the concerns Creech outlined, H.B. 605 does not try to regulate what type of field these professional teams practice on, nor does it attempt to tell minor league sports teams such as the Dayton Dragons or college and high school athletic programs what type of field to play on.
Creech noted that artificial turf fields are often picked due to the fact that they can sustain heavy weather and heavy traffic without being damaged.
Of the six Ohio franchises in the NFL, MLB or MLS, only the Cincinnati Bengals currently have a fully synthetic field, which was replaced just months ago after approval from Hamilton County Commissioners, according to its website.
This news organization reached out to the franchise for its reaction to the proposed legislation and to ask how long it expected the new artificial field to last, and how much taxpayer money went into the installation. A team spokesperson responded, “The Bengals are aware of the proposed legislation and will continue to monitor it.”
Creech used the Tuesday press conference to dispel concerns about any conflict of interest that may arise from the bill, given that he owns and operates Lawn Plus, a landscaping company that constructs and maintains athletic fields for “schools, parks, churches, and other organizations,” according to the company’s website.
“I will make a promise to you today in front of several media and a lot cameras: I will never put a bid on these projects. I have no interest in putting bids in these projects,” said Creech.
“I would much rather the doctors in the legislature handle health bills. I would much rather the education people handle education bills. I’ll take care of the turf bills,” he said.
State Rep. Tom Young, R-Washington Twp., a Bengals fan, said he wholeheartedly agrees with what Creech and Upchurch are trying to do, noting that the “research is clear” that natural grass is safer for athletes.
“But I don’t think the taxpayers should pay for it when these pro football owners (are all) billionaires,” said Young, who expressed optimism that artificial turf fields may gradually be phased out in all levels of Ohio sports. ”I think they can pony up a little bit of money to keep their athletes safe that they’re earning money off of.”
H.B. 605′s best bet of going into law before the end of the year is if it becomes a hot commodity during lame duck session, which is expected to begin once lawmakers return from their summer break after the November election.
However, Creech said it would be “great” if the problem could be addressed without legislation.
“Maybe this takes us all around the table and having a discussion,” he said. “At the end of the day, as a legislator, I would much rather get it worked out around the table than having to go through the legislative process.”
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Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
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