Having coached and played on turf for many years now, I can’t seem to eliminate the constant mess of the black rubber. It’s everywhere. It’s in the car, in the house, in my bags, and even in my fresh clothes drawers. It is an ongoing battle to keep things clean, and keep the carpet and floor clear of it. There is no escape from it though I guess. If you take out the rubber, the fields quickly turn rock hard, and it becomes miserable to play on. After years of playing at PGE Park in Portland, I can tell you how uncomfortable and difficult it was to play on field turf minus black rubber.
Another negative against the black rubber is the heat it generates during the summer. If you have played on turf fields in the middle of the day, you know what I am talking about. The discomfort is even greater if you play with tight fitting cleats or with shoes that are covered with the plastic coating like those Nike shoes. It can be unbearable at times. I would see players tiptoeing around sometimes, barely able to run because their feet were so hot. During water breaks, the feet would get more fluids poured over them than would be consumed. But then the cycle would start again. Instant relief would then turn into sustained misery as the heat would return, and the water which had soothed your feet, suddenly becomes the catalyst for increasingly stifling heat due to the moisture.
I did see white rubber pellets used to ward off the issue of heat, but it never really passed the test. Even if white rubber was used to reduce the heat on the field and feet, they would still litter our houses and cars…..
