Play it Forward: The way to safe, sustainable, all season play

The best part of my week is when I head down to Gunston Park in Arlington, VA to coach my little league team – the Padres – and help a group of players learn the game of baseball.  

Our team has had a great deal of success over the last five years, and one of the reasons for this is because we practice on turf fields when other teams practice on grass. Where I live, it rains nearly 50 inches a year – and when it does, grass fields can be out of commission for 2 or 3 days at a time.

So the Padres practice on a turf field, and we get 30 or 40 percent more practice time than other teams.  And over the course of a season that adds up.  

As a parent, a coach, and a board member of a travel baseball team, I’ve really come to appreciate the value that playing fields that use crumb rubber infill provide to my community.  Over the past decade, the ability to play on fields like this have meant that my kids were able to practice and play games that would have otherwise been cancelled.  It has meant the difference between playing on a quality surface versus playing on fields that have been worn down to dirt.  Here in Arlington – and all types of places that I’ve been to from Lakepoint, GA to Boston, Mass – these turf fields have helped keep my boys healthy and active and able to play competitive soccer and baseball.

Like most parents who’ve sat on the sidelines for hours at a time, I’ve heard the urban legend  – that somehow crumb rubber infill causes adverse health impacts.  

And so when I had the opportunity to work with the Recycled Rubber Coalition and launch the Better Play Initiative, I took a deep dive into the issue.  Turns out, this all began some 20 years ago.  A coach at the University of Washington mused aloud that she wondered if crumb rubber might be the cause of some of the ailments that her goalie friends had experienced.

And boom, a myth was born.  Now – 20 years later – after more than 100 peer reviewed studies that have debunked the myth and shown time after time that crumb rubber is as safe as grass, people still don’t believe it.

Maybe that’s a perfect metaphor for our time – people these days believe all kinds of things that have no basis in reality, while in this case they refuse to believe something that has been established again and again by the best scientists in the world – from the EPA/CDC/CPSC and just this week from CalEPA and OEHHA.

And so that’s the mission of the Better Play Initiative – to stand up for science and drive a public education campaign to make sure that decision makers are aware of the studies and recognize the value that recycled rubber provides to communities.  

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The Growing Need for Reliable Recreation Areas

The truth is that many communities face the challenge of providing and maintaining high-quality recreational spaces despite shrinking budgets, inclement weather and ongoing safety concerns. 

At this moment when health and activity are front and center, families should have broad access to parks, playgrounds and playing fields. Here is where the Better Play Initiative comes into play.

We are going to provide communities around the nation with the facts about recycled rubber – everything from how much water it saves to all the peer-reviewed studies that demonstrate its safety.

We’re going to advocate for its value to communities and debunk the myths.

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For example, a comprehensive study from the National Institution for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands found that recycled rubber surfaces provide more consistent use – up to six times more annually when compared to grass fields alone. 

The same study also revealed when using recycled rubber surfaces, cities experienced a 75% reduction in maintenance costs. 

The Better Play Initiative aims to dispel the current myths surrounding the use of recycled rubber – like costs and health safety – by arming communities with the knowledge to make safer, more sustainable play a reality. 

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Moving Forward

If you’re a community leader, a local government official or simply a concerned citizen wanting to learn more, I encourage you to explore the resources available through BPI and the Recycled Rubber Coalition. 

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Together, we can create a future where everyone has access to sustainable and safe recreational areas.

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By: Scott Gerber, Program Director for the Better Play Initiative 

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