Because irrigation can get expensive in a desert, many owners of Arizona sports facilities have made the switch from live grass to artificial turf. While this mean less money spent on maintenance—mowing and watering and such—it makes a big difference in the way Arizona athletes play on those fields. The traction on artificial turf is not the same as live grass, so Arizona soccer and football players may need to wear different shoes than they would on traditional fields to avoid slipping or destroying the plastic fibers. Balls also tend to bounce higher and more predictably on artificial turf than on live grass fields. “Turf burn,” similar to rug burn, can prove a brutal consequence of sliding on artificial turf fields; Arizona sports players may want to wear clothing that covers their arms and legs to prevent abrasion injuries.
One of the cool features of artificial turf is that it is easy to customize. Not only is it available in green—which looks the most natural, obviously, and is the most common choice—but the plastics used in artificial turf can be made in a variety of colors. Some Arizona high schools might choose to show extra school spirit by covering their playing fields with school colors rather than traditional green. It is also possible to obtain artificial turf with embedded fiber-optics. This kind of integrated system is perfect for displaying advertisements directly on the playing field of a professional or other sports facility. Because custom installations can get expensive, sports facilities will need to have a strict code of rules regarding field use in order to protect the turf from premature wear and tear. For example, gum should not be allowed on artificial turf fields in Arizona, as it will stick to the plastic fibers and be difficult to remove.
