Football Fields

[Rexedgar]

What’s involved in the construction of modern football fields that there are “beads” that go airborne near the sideline when a receiver drags a foot or a similar play?

 

[azgreg]

What’s involved in the construction of modern football fields that there are “beads” that go airborne near the sideline when a receiver drags a foot or a similar play?

It's field turf.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FieldTurf

The surface is composed of monofilament polyethylene blend fibers tufted into a polypropylene backing. The infill is composed of a bottom layer of silica sand, a middle layer which is a mixture of sand and cryogenic rubber, and a top layer of only rubber. The fibers are meant to replicate blades of grass, while the infill acts as a cushion. This cushion is intended to improve safety when compared to earlier artificial surfaces and allows players to plant and pivot as if they were playing on a grass field.[3]

Each square foot of turf contains about 3 kg (7 lb) of sand and 1.5 kg (3 lb) of cryogenic rubber. FieldTurf does not use shock-absorbency pads below its infill. The backing of the turf is a combination of woven and nonwoven polypropylene. These materials are permeable and allow water to drain through the backing itself.[4]

Sometimes they use cork instead of rubber.