Happy June. The weather is heating up, and so are my typing fingers. Plus, baseball has given me far too much to rip upon this season in a few short months, and for that, I'm eternally grateful. No joke.
This past Wednesday night was a frighteningly worrisome one in baseball. During the Houston Astros - Chicago Cubs game at Minute Maid Park, Cubs outfielder Alberto Almora Jr smacked a line drive foul into the third base line stands. That hot ball hit a four-year-old girl, causing a massive stir in the stands, and physically, psychologically, and emotionally affecting Almora at the plate. He finished the at-bat, but it was clear to tell that he had great difficulty going through with that. On a positive note, the young girl is doing just fine now. [1]
Psychological fallacies aside, we're seeing this all too often, aren't we?
As expected, This is bringing up the conversation yet again of working to expand the netting along all of the stadium foul lines. There has been some expansion in the last year, but it obviously hasn't been enough to guarantee the safety of the fans closer to the action. As of right now, the nets only reach to the ends of each dugout. MLB has what they call a "baseball rule,"a, "warning that they're not liable for risks fans accept by attending the game." [2]
So, basically, kids fall into that category, and they're not old enough to really be held responsible for anything. OK then. Let that sink in. The only thing they should be held responsible for is for the food they hold. That's it.
What amazes me was when there were growing concerns in the NHL about crowd safety and pucks leaving the ice, they had quickly implemented measures to require netting surrounding the backstop areas at all arenas to ensure player safety. Of course, they don't have to be around the entirety of the ice, as most of the shooting will occur around the backstop. They ruled this three months after a young girl was killed by a puck during the 2001-2002 season. [3] Three months, everybody. Three months, and something was done about it. We're talking about a sport that is much more physical and fast-paced than baseball, and as soon as there was a major incident, the correct measures were taken to make sure that nothing like that ever happens again.
You can argue that there are already a lot of nets at ballparks already, and if you're going to sit that close to the action, that you need to pay attention at all times. That's cool and everything, but when a ball or a rogue bat comes flying at you, not everybody that close has a glove, and there's no decent way to defend yourself from a hard-hit ball or a flying bat. A lot of the less-modern ballparks like Wrigley and Fenway also has their baseline stands much closer at some angles than most others. The game has changed a lot since then.
Seriously--what's it going to take? Somebody has already died from an incident like this. What MLB has done is a disgrace and is far from enough of an effort.
Baseball leagues in Japan and South Korea have already taken measures to have extensive netting around the entirety of the infield area. On that note, it hasn't affected the game at all over there. In fact, it gives the fans more of the reason to immerse themselves without any sort of worry. [To be fair, the atmospheres of games out there are literally night and day compared to baseball in the United States.]
I hate to beat a dead horse, but you're so worried about fan attendance this early in the year, and you're not focused on their safety? OK then, Mr. Manfred. Keep on looking at the revenue and gain some liability issues on your hands. Not acting upon what is becoming far too common is putting the fans at risk and putting attendance figures at risk. It doesn't matter that most ballparks are "cultural experiences" nowadays, where instead of watching the game--you know, what you're normally supposed to do at ballparks--you can go to these interactive playgrounds for kids or beer gardens for sportsball supporters. Pardon the strong statement, but when I go to a ballpark, it's because I want to watch the team. If I want to do interactives, I'll go when the ballpark first opens to kick some butt in wiffleball or something. Other than that though? Gimme a scorecard.
With the evolution of the game today, you can't take any chances. With the way the world is today, a sporting event should be fun, relaxing, and free of worry, no matter where you sit.
You can afford to shell out a few thousand dollars for extra netting, MLB. It's time to be smart.
-- Stephanie
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Other articles referenced:
[1] Chicago Cubs batter breaks down after his line drive strikes 4-year-old girl - CBS News - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/girl-hit-by-foul-ball-albert-almora-chicago-cubs-batter-breaks-down-line-drive-houston-astros-game/
[2] After foul ball injures girl, does baseball need to do more? - Washington Post - https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/05/30/after-foul-ball-injures-girl-does-baseball-need-do-more/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4c45b88bc666
[3] HOCKEY; N.H.L. Arenas to Add Netting To Protect the Fans From Pucks - New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/21/sports/hockey-nhl-arenas-to-add-netting-to-protect-the-fans-from-pucks.html
