Safety at the Ballpark

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by nolemmings

Sorry Raymond, I agree with Chuck.

+1 I actually laugh when I see people get hit with the ball.

[dgo71]

Most every time I've seen someone hit with a foul ball it is because they weren't paying the least bit of attention. They were looking at their phone (usually) or turned around in their seat talking to someone, or otherwise doing anything but actually watching the game they paid to attend. I hate to see anyone get hurt but the people themselves have to have some accountability in their safety.

[Mark17]

I think little kids should be exempt from this, though. Baseball is way too boring to hold a youngster's attention for 3 hours solid.

I have always brought my glove to every game I go to, unless my tickets are in the outfield. As a kid it was in hopes of catching a ball, as an adult it is more for protection. And if I had a kid (or girlfriend) with me I would put myself between them and home plate, and be paying attention during the pitch. Common sense, isn't it?

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by Mark17

I think little kids should be exempt from this, though. Baseball is way too boring to hold a youngster's attention for 3 hours solid.

I have always brought my glove to every game I go to, unless my tickets are in the outfield. As a kid it was in hopes of catching a ball, as an adult it is more for protection. And if I had a kid (or girlfriend) with me I would put myself between them and home plate, and be paying attention during the pitch. Common sense, isn't it?

Mark- unfortunately, common sense is not so common anymore.


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[Mark17]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

Mark- unfortunately, common sense is not so common anymore.


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True. But covering the world with protective nets can't be the remedy to protect people from themselves.

[frankbmd]

A couple of years ago I was at Dodger Stadium seated on the field level, but under the mezzanine overhang, which is quite low at Dodger Stadium and outside the margin of the third base line netting. A line drive foul ball passed two seats to my right and hit a lady square in the face seated three rows behind me, not far from the concourse and the Dodger Dog stand. Under the mezzanine during a night game isn't very bright. I never saw the ball coming, but heard it and I doubt anyone in the immediate area did. She ended up with a handful of teeth and very bloody face. Drinking was not a factor and I was watching the game with my son. Suffice it to say, I would have predicted that the injured lady was in one of the safest seats in the house. You never know, and it could have easily been me or my son.

Am I in favor of the entire playing surface being enclosed in a plexiglass dome? No, but there is a risk involved to attending a live event wherever you are seated and whether or not you are paying attention to the game. Your odds are pretty good of surviving a MLB game, but it is not 100%

The other circumstance that would scare the crap out of mean, would be a hockey puck shot rapidly and deflected by goalie over the glass at 90mph. Those suckers (or should I say puckers) can go quite far into the crowd of darkened spectators and the puck is black. Dodging that bullet is next to impossible. I believe this situation has largely been alleviated with netting above the glass behind the net in most if not all NHL arenas.

[DaveW]

Years ago, my oldest son, who was about 11 years old at the time, brought his glove to a game and caught a high pop foul just inches above his grandfather’s head. I think he saved his life.
On a side note, I think drinking too much beer (and then driving home) as well as eating that lousy ballpark food has probably killed more people than foul balls ever will. Maybe they should put netting between the people and the concession stands.

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

I never saw the ball coming, but heard it and I doubt anyone in the immediate area did. She ended up with a handful of teeth and very bloody face. Drinking was not a factor and I was watching the game with my son. Suffice it to say, I would have predicted that the injured lady was in one of the safest seats in the house. You never know, and it could have easily been me or my son.

Am I in favor of the entire playing surface being enclosed in a plexiglass dome? No, but there is a risk involved to attending a live event wherever you are seated and whether or not you are paying attention to the game. Your odds are pretty good of surviving a MLB game, but it is not 100%

The other circumstance that would scare the crap out of mean, would be a hockey puck shot rapidly and deflected by goalie over the glass at 90mph. Those suckers (or should I say puckers) can go quite far into the crowd of darkened spectators and the puck is black. Dodging that bullet is next to impossible. I believe this situation has largely been alleviated with netting above the glass behind the net in most if not all NHL arenas.

Well, I think we mostly agree. Of course, reasonable netting needs to be there. But the goal cannot be to protect every single person from any type of injury.

I do not think it logically follows that: Someone suffered an unfortunate accident, therefore it should have somehow been prevented.

I think it's tragic someone died at a ballgame last year. But I will bet that if you looked at all the people who attend MLB games each year, many more die in traffic going to, or from, the game. In other words, people are safer at the game, generally.

Before we start putting nets everywhere, or redesigning every bathtub in America, or lowering all speed limits to 20 miles an hour, I think we should accept the fact that despite reasonable safety measures, accidents will continue to happen, and we all need to deal with that risk wherever we are.

[Tripredacus]

Originally Posted by dgo71

Most every time I've seen someone hit with a foul ball it is because they weren't paying the least bit of attention. They were looking at their phone (usually) or turned around in their seat talking to someone, or otherwise doing anything but actually watching the game they paid to attend. I hate to see anyone get hurt but the people themselves have to have some accountability in their safety.

I stop going to games with some friends or relatives that do this. I get tired of yelling to them to pay attention to the game. Especially because I am the one who chooses where to sit... and meaning I decide which baseline to sit along to determine which will see the most foul balls.

Also there is this thing where people think you can be too old to bring a glove to a game, like they would be embarassed to be seen with one. So most adults do not bring a glove anyways.