Your Ass Is Grass - Astroturfing in Ontario
ASTROTURFING: YOUR LYING ASS IS FAKE GRASS This article is based on an exam answer I submitted to my University of Windsor Poli-Sci Media course on June 20th 8pm Even though the root of the word Astroturfing has largely disappeared from our current vocabulary, here in Ontario it is a term that is very much a part of the political lexicon. Back in 1968 the Houston Astrodome became the first NFL stadium to install artificial grass on its indoor football field. First called ChemGrass , the phony turf soon was dubbed AstroTurf by sports announcers. Fans watching the first game on Astroturf liked what they saw, a perfect green field with clearly marked yard lines and unsmudgeable advertisements. What they didn’t see was the concrete and dirt underneath. The players hated it: despite looking like soft turf it was all a lie - it really hurts when tackled on the Astroturf. Injuries abounded. Makes sense that now in the 2020’s the term Astroturfing refers to a rather nasty, expensi