New York college receives criticism over player safety issue

Jul. 25—Football has always been a dangerous sport and unless Georgia and Florida walk onto the field this season with flags around their waste instead of pads on their shoulders, it will continue to be a dangerous sport. However, there have been great strides in player's safety. Many people have grown up with the concussion issue. For years critics of the gridiron game have pointed to concussions and CTE as the problem with the game. But, advancements in helmet technology and adjustments to the rules have made football a much safer game, though it still presents risk.

However, a new threat has fallen on the game. The heat. Record breaking heat has swept the country in the last few years and it seems that every year there are more and more reports of players collapsing and even dying from the heat, combined with their helmets and pads.

Studies have shown that the temperature inside a players helmet can climb to 104 degrees in under ten minutes.

But, the game took another step forward as LSU unveiled new helmet technology. Air conditioning in the helmets. A series of tubes and fans within the helmet will blow air on the players face and neck allowing them to continue to play hard in the Louisiana heat without fear of waking up in the hospital.

However, the game always seems to take one step forward and three steps back. SUNY Morrisville is a college in New York that is receiving international attention for its installation of a new colored turf field. It's not the first time we've seen a college with colored turf. Boise State is legendary for the blue turf and Eastern Washington is known for its all red field. So, why is SUNY Morrisville receiving some much attention? Their turf is black.

It all started when the school decided they wanted to rebrand. They unveiled a new logo and along with it chose to make their logo pop on an all black turf. According to SUNY Morrisville's Athletic Director Matt Grawrock it was a unique opportunity that they couldn't pass up.

"We wanted to move in a bold, new direction that would give our department and student-athletes a unique identity to rally around," said Grawrock in an interview with Sports Illustrated.

With record highs in heat, coaches and schools are expected to look out for their player's safety. Frequent water breaks and opportunities for players to rest during practice should be the standard. However, this decision by SUNY Morrisville seems completely irresponsible. In a time when universities should be solely focused on the well-being of their players, SUNY Morrisville has chosen branding and attention over player safety.

This field has the potential to be extremely dangerous. Players already experience terrible heat in the early months of football season. Reports of players suffering from the heat on simple green turf is already too common, adding the sweltering heat from black playing surface will certainly be cause for alarm from visiting teams and SUNY Morrisville itself. It's quite possible that this black turf, while it may pop to fans, could lead to multiple health issues for Morrisville players and others.