tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471471289744825428.post2346741155337048081..comments2024-03-11T00:31:41.186-07:00Comments on The Oregon Economics Blog: Real Soccer Stadiums Have Grass SurfacesPatrick Emersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17242234148546323374noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471471289744825428.post-32748542567320580222009-10-21T12:50:20.461-07:002009-10-21T12:50:20.461-07:00Toronto is replacing it?!? Fantastic.Toronto is replacing it?!? Fantastic.Patrick Emersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17242234148546323374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471471289744825428.post-59120603463959862442009-10-21T12:26:51.090-07:002009-10-21T12:26:51.090-07:00Portland needs a natural grass field if it wants t...Portland needs a natural grass field if it wants to be taken seriously in the MLS. Toronto played its first two seasons on turf and is now ripping it out, because of all the complaints. No player in the league would choose fake turf over grass. Turf is expensive and takes a lot of maintenance just like grass. There is no real cost savings by going to turf.paulsepphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00951241053553925786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471471289744825428.post-55644324348187084292009-10-16T14:50:02.222-07:002009-10-16T14:50:02.222-07:00Football is hard on grass surfaces, but modern one...Football is hard on grass surfaces, but modern ones are up to the abuse. The Home Depot Center in LA hosts high school, college and the soon to launch UFL professional football league along with two MLS teams. <br /><br />Other 'soccer specific' stadiums with natural grass in the MLS regularly host football, rugby, other soccer matches, concerts and even X games motocross and monster truck rallies.<br /><br />Suffice to say if these surfaces can take this level of abuse, one in Portland that had a modern drainage system should have no problem. <br /><br />And my point is about how soccer is as a spectator sport on turf not how it is as a playing surface. I play soccer all the time and usually a few times a year on turf and I have a great time playing on turf and like it as a new challenge that rewards precision (though I wouldn't like to play on it regularly). But it is a far inferior surface to watch soccer being played, and I worry that this will hurt attendance as the initial buzz wears off (I worry about this in Seattle too). Add in the expense of laying down a temporary grass field if you ever want to host a world cup qualifier, international friendly or a top european club team and turf starts to make less and less sense.Patrick Emersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17242234148546323374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3471471289744825428.post-51752274607226108272009-10-16T12:27:27.108-07:002009-10-16T12:27:27.108-07:00Which of those MLS stadia have American football t...Which of those MLS stadia have American football tenants? Both college and high school football will continue to hold games there regularly. PGE is to be soccer-specific, not soccer only. It was my impression that football would tear a grass field up, to the detriment of soccer. <br /><br />I know at the NCAA level they love the turf field in Richmond VA, where they've had the championships. So it's not prohibitive to use turf, I fon't think.Torridhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17771589020554233601noreply@blogger.com