Notre Dame Football: Brian Kelly Is Making Safe Play by Moving to Field Turf

There has been talk about the Fighting Irish possibly shifting to field turf ever since Brian Kelly hit the scene. The head coach runs a spread offense and he likes to push tempo and get athletes on the edge. Field turf is also a lot more conducive to his style than the long, thick grass of Notre Dame Stadium. Well, at his preseason primer, Brian Kelly erased the uncertainty regarding the decision on whether or not field turf is coming. As the South Bend Tribune reports, Kelly removes all doubt:

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“Field Turf is coming,” Kelly said. “It’s something that’s eventually going to be in the stadium. We had a lot of construction in there this year, which kind of put us back a little bit, but that’s coming.”

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You've got the goods straight out of the headman's mouth. Field turf is most certainly coming to Notre Dame. 

If you don't like it, shame on you.

I get that there are purests who swear by the old time feel of grass on the field. I get that people want Notre Dame to remain in this age of yesteryear where the stadium is the same in 2012 as it was several decades ago. The undying tradition and all that jazz.

Smelling salts. Ignoring concussions. Taking water away from players to prove who the tough guys were during summer workouts. Those used to be "tradition" too.

Until someone decided that safety mattered.

You see while everyone is worried about the "look" of things and not wanting to lose their own selfishly nostalgic feel, they're asking their team to play on a surface that is becoming outdated. Especially from a safety standpoint.

But, you know, who cares about what's best for those players, your nostalgia is a hell of a trump card. 

Field turf is making advances that grass just cannot replicate. Take the new field at Maryland, which should be the standard as teams transition to field turf, and you'll see where the innovation comes into play. Pads underneath the field to help reduce impact on joints and concussions from players heads slamming into the surface. The new "CoolPlay" technology that helps keep temperatures lower for those games in the heat.

You see, while you're worried about nostalgia and getting to see those faceless players play on the same grass from years ago, you're missing a chance to actually give a crap about them. I know, it's a lot to ask; they are just silly, interchangeable pieces while you, the fan, will be there forever.

I implore you to take a step back. This is most definitely not about nostalgia or tradition. Hell, don't even make it about what this new surface can do for Brian Kelly's offense. In the end, if you can reduce the risk of injury, especially concussions, to a player who wears your team's colors it should be something you get on board with.

If you don't care enough to do that, what are you rooting for?