 We had a guy on our team, Terz ACL, and a guy on the other team dislocate his knee. Same game, same spot on the field, so... In recent years, Synthetic Turf has become a popular alternative to natural grass fields. Durable, versatile, and weather-resistant, many athletic programs around the nation have relied on Synthetic Turf playing services. Yet, when Cal alumni Aaron Rogers suffered a season-ending injury during his first career start with the New York Jets in September 11th, professional and collegiate athletes began to voice their complaints about the dangers of Synthetic Turf. A 2019 study from University Hospital Sports Medicine Institute revealed that athletes were 58% more likely to sustain an injury during athletic activity on artificial turf. Despite the results of this study, 16 NFL teams and a large sum of college football teams still use Synthetic Turf fields as they are easy to maintain. In fact, California Memorial Stadium is one such site that utilizes Synthetic Turf. When asked about the condition of the playing service at California Memorial Stadium, Cal head football coach Justin Wilcox said, For the longest time, the game was played on grass and then, you know, as then it went to this Astro Turf, which I played on and that was even, I mean, that's kind of like, you know, carpet on top of cement, so they got rid of that, which is a good thing, and now we're on to the Synthetic Turf, and I know not not every synthetic field is the same. And so I'm sure there's a lot of work being done. We're used to playing on them. And at the end of the day, we're for whatever's best for the for the players. While California Memorial Stadium is used for collegiate football games, it is also the home of UC Berkeley's intramural flag football games. We have the opportunity to speak to a few intramural sports players to get the perspective on the synthetic turf used at the stadium. When it comes to like my experience, I think grass field sometimes can be a little bumpy sometimes, you know, a little rough. So sometimes I would say, you know, this is like more consistent. But this can we've had some we've got some bad injuries out here from intramural wise. I understand both sides. Like there is a drought in California, so I guess it's good to have to know off the water, a huge field. But I mean, I'm pro natural, everything. So it'd be nice to have a real field. But I don't Additionally, these players backed up their concerns when they spoke to us about their past experiences with injuries on the field. A couple of semesters ago, we had a guy on our team tears ACL and the guy on the other team dislocate his knee. Same game, same spot on the field. So I think it's definitely there's definitely some to it with the turf fields. I say it's a lot less forgiving on the joints and ligaments. So last year, kind of tour tour, what do you hurt his knee towards Achilles? ACL with he just he's a pretty athletic guy, but he just stopped weird and like it completely just got cooked. As of now, California Memorial Stadium has yet to announce any future changes to the stadium's playing surface. Similarly, while the NFL Players Association put out an article this past spring titled only natural grass can level the NFL's playing field, the commissioner's office has yet to comment on if any changes will be made regarding playing surface regulations. For now, players and fans alike will only continue to avoid certain concerns until change is seen with Cal TV News has been telling lady. See you all next time.