I'm not the only one who's suggested it. Even pro-turf people pointed it out in the Blue-Gold thread. I call it "sneaky," they call it a testament to Swarbrick's savvy.
This caring about the playing surface is a kind of stupid unique to ND, with the slavish devotion to keeping things the same whether those things actually constitute "tradition" or not. I don't have any personal preference on the playing surface, but at least I understand the arguments in favor of turf. There are no good arguments for grass other than stubbornness and perhaps a misplaced sense of tradition (which we all like and appreciate) or weird fetishization of grass.
You have to be fair though. The "hardcore" turf people go just as overboard as the "hardcore" grass people. For every "Knute Rockne is rolling in his grave" guy, there's a "we'll never land another 5* recruit with natural grass" guy.
Grass itself is not a tradition. Things aren't tradition just because they've always been a certain way. Tradition requires the additional ingredients of choice and purpose.
There's a difference between "tradition" and "traditional." Grass is not tradition, you're right, but it is traditional.
Clinging to a grass surface would be like clinging to dirt road and objecting to them ever being paved. Tradition is cool insofar as it doesn't prevent progress and making things better. Grass is no more tradition than dirt roads once were.
Sometimes the appeal of something is the fact that it
has resisted those forces that are justified as "progress" and "making things better." A propane grill heats faster and more consistently but I prefer cooking on charcoal. A modern razor will give you a clean, smooth shave without fear of cutting yourself, but many people prefer a straight edge. Sanforization of cotton allowed for true fit "pre-shrunk" fabrics, but there's a movement in some circles dedicated to restoring the culture of "raw" denim. Some people
would object to the paving of a dirt road for the simple reason that they prefer the aesthetic. There's something to be said about a connection to the past for
no other reason than to be connected to the past.
All that said, I frankly don't give a shit what they play on. Given the choice, I would have preferred grass but I'm not getting worked up over it. I just can't stand the arrogance some of you posters have towards those who feel nostalgic for the tradition
al playing surface. We get it. You don't feel the same nostalgia, and nostalgia isn't rooted in logic or a list of reasons you can enumerate on why grass should stay, but that doesn't make it illegitimate.
You just don't get it koon. Fake grass is an affront to ND, to the Virgin Mary, and to God Himself... actually just make that the whole Holy Trinity to be sure. Football isn't supposed to played on plastic, especially when artificial turf has been linked to cancer. Consistency in the playing surface doesn't mean anything, nor do the opinions of the players, nor does the consistent failure of mother nature and the grounds crew to cooperate in South Bend. Despite all obstacles and reasoning, fieldturf has no place in the modern world. Even Knute Rockne himself, who might be the greatest innovator in college football history, would turn a blind eye to this crime of tradition.
See that's the kind of shit I'm talking about. If someone said that "fake grass is an affront to the Virgin Mary," then by all means call them out. The hyperbole you're presenting mischaracterizes the
general feeling among those who prefer grass as irrational and, frankly, ridiculous.
