Red turf at Eastern Washington U. (It’s not unusual at all)
August 12, 2010 6:17 PM   Subscribe

Of course our new football field is cranberry red. What do you think we are – savages? Watch paint dry Eastern Washington University install its forearm-staining turf on its TurfCam. Hey, for a million bucks what do you expect – something that looks like grass? (Via)
posted by joeclark (33 comments total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Oh, God, it makes Boise State look watchable.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 6:18 PM on August 12, 2010 [3 favorites]


Are you sure those forearms are stained? Is it just reflected light? Because that stuff is red enough to make everything red within a few feet of it.
posted by GuyZero at 6:20 PM on August 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


Well played, GuyZero.
posted by joeclark at 6:21 PM on August 12, 2010


BLOOD FIELDS FOR THE BLOOD GOD!
posted by thewittyname at 6:23 PM on August 12, 2010 [9 favorites]


I vacillate between total irony and being completely literal with a side-order of extremely tangential. So maybe you were trying to make a more important point, sorry. It did remind me of radiosity vs ray tracing demos from the early 90's though.
posted by GuyZero at 6:24 PM on August 12, 2010


Going Rouge!
posted by Babblesort at 6:30 PM on August 12, 2010 [3 favorites]


That is going to be some real home field advantage there. That is, after the red receptors are all burned out in the home team's retinas.

From a design standpoint, it's awesome. Unfortunately it will last somewhat longer than a Cristo exhibit.
posted by Xoebe at 6:31 PM on August 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


MetaFilter needs a red page.
posted by oulipian at 6:34 PM on August 12, 2010 [2 favorites]


I honestly kind of love the look.
posted by Navelgazer at 6:36 PM on August 12, 2010


The Astroturf is deepest red
It's shrouded oft our martyred dead
And ere their limbs grew stiff and cold
Their heart's blood dyed its every fold
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 6:37 PM on August 12, 2010 [6 favorites]


Hazel, look... the field... it's covered with blood!
posted by Astro Zombie at 6:39 PM on August 12, 2010 [5 favorites]


I thought, "hey, good idea for covering the blood," but the field is... rather hot pink for that.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:51 PM on August 12, 2010


They're preparing to host Blood Bowl.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 6:54 PM on August 12, 2010


They will be sad when it fades to a nice bubblegum pink over the next few years.
posted by oneirodynia at 6:57 PM on August 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


Gunnery Sergeant Hartmann: What makes the grass grow?
Recruits: BLOOD BLOOD BLOOD
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 6:57 PM on August 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


I suspect the field will be replaced before it fades too much - BSU did it one of the years I attended, and charged a pretty penny to sell the pieces to alumni, as well.
posted by Nabubrush at 7:09 PM on August 12, 2010


God, I love discovering how many people catch Watership Down references.
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:17 PM on August 12, 2010


I my college bar/club going days I'd always catch the Boise State turf out of the corner of my eye on TV and worrying that I was way more drunk than I really was.

I pity the drunken undergrads who see this at 1 in the morning.
posted by moviehawk at 7:18 PM on August 12, 2010


It's even worse than the Smurf Turf.
posted by norm at 7:29 PM on August 12, 2010


Spokane newspaper article: Marketing EWU's red turf could be a bloody mess.

I actually live in Cheney, about 6 blocks from campus. It's a very football centric school. This whole red turf thing has been a bit of an issue. Prepping the field and installing the turf has cost some ridiculous sum of money, and it's actually going to cost MORE per year than grass groundskeeping would for a regular field. And this is happening during a time when EWU is doing things like closing the on-campus elementary school (where many faculty used to take their kids) and making other budget cuts to actual academic subjects.

This is also the school which used to host the Seattle Seahawks preseason practice, which was a huge boon to the town. Everyone worked hard to get a fancy Holiday Inn Express built in town so Seahawks fans would have a better hotel to stay at in-town. Sadly, something happened with the Seahawks' contract with EWU the VERY NEXT YEAR and they no longer come to Cheney for their practice month.
posted by hippybear at 7:32 PM on August 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


Yeah, wait, that's fieldturf or whatever. It's not painted, it comes in sheets in that color. Look at this guy's face - it's reflected light off the turf, reflecting in red.

That said... it is quite red. I've seen Boise State's field confuse on-screen graphics that "project" the down-info on the field and spazz out TVs with how blue it is. I wonder if they're tested how this color will look on TV. Or maybe Eastern Washington's not broadcast very often?
posted by dammitjim at 7:34 PM on August 12, 2010


I don't recall ever seeing an EWU football game on television. But I don't look for them too hard.
posted by hippybear at 7:40 PM on August 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


What's next, the Ultimate Frisbee tie-dye field?
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:16 PM on August 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


Or maybe Eastern Washington's not broadcast very often?

I think that is one of the reasons they did this, they have a decent program but no attention. Everybody looks up and scratches their head when they see the Boise State field on the highlights.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 8:38 PM on August 12, 2010


Damn it, DammitJim. You’re the kind of guy who thinks two plus two equals four.
posted by joeclark at 8:38 PM on August 12, 2010


Doesn't the color red really fuck with television cameras?
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 8:52 PM on August 12, 2010


please don't make the turf in DKR memorial stadium burnt orange.
posted by djduckie at 9:57 PM on August 12, 2010


ahem
posted by Cranberry at 12:13 AM on August 13, 2010


You can help make history by voting for a nickname for Eastern Washington University's new Red Turf!

[ ] stupid
[ ] ugly
[ ] you smell funny

Can I pick at least two?
posted by DU at 4:26 AM on August 13, 2010


I wonder how long it'll be until they have buyer's remorse.
posted by Atreides at 6:32 AM on August 13, 2010


Wonder what that'll do to the first and 10 yellow line generators- I thought they relied on green for the chroma key; bet the TV crews won't be too excited to recalibrate for this field.
posted by jenkinsEar at 8:25 AM on August 13, 2010


The individual fibers come in any color you want. That is why yardlines and soccer, lacrosse, whatever borders are different colors. They could have had all black, all white, yellow, etc.

The issue is that different chemicals create different colors. With forms of this turf in the past, there was "dislodgeable" lead and cadmium present, that you could actually rub off on a sample cloth and measure. (I have done this on several occasions.) In the current renditions, these heavy metals may still be there, but they are bound up in the fibers more tightly, and do not leach out.

In the Pacific Northwest, this turf makes economic and operational sense in that it does not need to "rest," as grass turf does. It can be played on constantly, and all it needs for maintenance is to be blown off and "fluffed up" occasionally. There are machines for that.

All that said, this field is just butt ugly!
posted by Danf at 8:54 AM on August 13, 2010


You can help make history by voting for a nickname for Eastern Washington University's new Red Turf!

(insert menstrual joke here)
posted by elder18 at 9:38 AM on August 13, 2010


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