Makers of Astro-Turf Going Out of Business

KWTX-TV ^ | 2/18/04

[July 4th]

Good riddance. AstroTurf is responsible for hundreds of minor and major injuries in professional sports. The NextTurf product is much better, but still falls short of grass.

[JohnBovenmyer]

So what is Bill Clinton going to put in the back of his El Camino now?

Used, worn out astro turf, donated to charity (i.e. his library) just like his old shorts. Fitting.

[Larry Lucido]

So is your runway asphalt or grass? Either way, astroturf could come in handy next time you resurface.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Does Clinton know about this ?

[Bobby Chang]

This also affects the major stadiums, as AstroTurf is being phased out in favour of newer surfaces, including SRI's own AstroPlay, which has quickly grown in use in many college stadia, which are switching back to turf with the new surfaces. The Superdome and Metrodome were planning to adopt AstroPlay.

Canadian competitor FieldTurf already has carved a major international presence, with 20-time Japanese baseball champions the Tokyo Yomuiri Giants adopting FieldTurf in 2002, and four stadiums use the surface -- the Georgia Dome (installed 2003), Giants Stadium (installed 2003), Ford Field, and Seahawks Stadium.

Another Canadian competitor, Sportexe, has its Momentum turf at Baltimore and at the University of California at Berkeley.

And this comes on the verge as more NFL teams plan to switch to turf, from Canadian firms.