What’s With No Sunflower Seeds At Baseball Games?

I was at a Duluth Huskies Baseball game recently and noticed a sign up on the netting behind home plate.  It said "no sunflower seeds allowed".  I didn't think much about it until I saw more signage in the Wade Stadium venue, stating something similar.

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The other signage that I posted a photo of said they can damage artificial turf.  Curious as to why, I did a little digging into the matter.  Various websites presented similar answers on why sunflower seeds and artificial turf don't play well together.

It seems that the seeds hanging out can actually cause injury to players in the form of potential scratches from the shells.  Since the shells can't break down, they also get imbedded into the turf and then can become a breeding ground for mold and bacteria.  Too many over time can also cause drainage issues which is never a good thing.

So, between potential player harm and potential damage to the turf, many fields don't want them around.  It's no issue for us as we usually enjoy peanuts at games, but I know a lot of players like to crunch on sunflower seeds during play.  If you see the signs at a game, do your part to help keep the venue nice and follow the rules.  I can't imagine what artificial or synthetic fields cost, but it can't be cheap.  I'm sure the fees to have sunflower shells deep cleaned out of them aren't cheap either.