Turf Wars: A New Synthetic-Grass Product Takes the Field

By John Gehring

When the box arrived, school officials took turns gently stepping inside so their feet could get a feel for the small patch of soft surface. A few seconds later, like food critics carefully ruminating over the quality of food resting on their palates, they stepped out with their individual reviews.

The contents of the box delivered to the Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica, Calif., that day in 1999 passed the foot test, as well as other evaluations, and now cover the athletic fields and playground at the private K-12 school.

Kindergartners play games on the surface during recess, and 200-pound linebackers with size-12 cleats trample over it...