The Chicago Bears Soldier Field turf is somewhat legendary amongst professional sports organizations. Not in a good way either. For the longest time, it was the butt of many a joke by fans and media alike, calling it the worst playing grass in existence. Even certain Bears players couldn’t resist saying something about it. After all, they were the ones who had to play on it eight times (or more) a year.
The primary issues were that as the year progressed during a season, the grass would grow worse and worse in terms of stability. Huge chunks would start getting churned up. Whenever it rained, it would either turn into a mud pit or become slippery to a point where players never kept their footing while trying to cut.
It seems that the city and stadium management finally heard enough and a few years ago quietly made a change. One that has suddenly made the many jokes about the turf vanish without anybody taking time to realize it as Patrick O’Connell of the Chicago Tribune explained back in November.
Chicago Bears Soldier Field surface has exorcized its past demons
The crescendo of complaints in 2014 led to a change. Soldier Field management switched sod providers, turning to a New Jersey turf farm that specializes in providing grass for professional sports teams.
“Overnight, there were fewer complaints,” said Soldier Field general manager Tim LeFevour.
Soldier Field wanted to support Illinois sod farmers, LeFevour said, but the turf’s higher clay content led to incidents of slippage for players, especially in wet weather. The new sod, grown at Tuckahoe Turf Farms in Hammonton, N.J., has less clay and more sand.
The Bears were fortunate in that they didn’t have to play in much wet weather this year but there’s no denying the results. This past season there was never a hint of complaining from anybody about the Soldier Field surface. It was relatively smooth sailing. Amazing how a simple switch in sod composition has such an effect. Even the most seemingly boring sciences can be fascinating at times.
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Chicago can rest easy though. Bad footing isn’t going to hinder this team anymore. Or at least not nearly as much as in the past.
