Do you think MLB needs to add netting for fan safety? I'm personally adamantly opposed. All of the injuries I've seen are from fans who are not only 1) sitting extremely close but who are 2) not paying any attention to the game. Yes, I'm empathetic towards their situations. It sucks. It's incredibly dangerous. But you have to pay attention when you're at the game. It's feasible for each fan to take precautionary safety measure on their own. If you think you may not fully pay attention, the duty falls on you, solely, to not sit in the first couple rows behind the dugout. We don't need to hinder the in-game experience of every fan. Adding nets also does away with a huge reason fans and kids go to games--to get balls, bats, autographs, interactions, etc. Thoughts?
I don't think vicious and incredibly dangerous line drives into the crowd should be part of the in game experience for fans. So I favor more protective netting. As it stands, it's only a matter of time before a child takes a line drive to the head and dies right there in the stadium. They can raise the netting once the games start so everyone can still get autographs.
I attended a lecture last year by the head of the Astros legal counsel and asked him about the netting. He predicted that netting would be mandated by 2020 along 1st and 3rd and that eventually it could extend to home run territory. They need to somehow construct a clear netting or one that does not extend to the roof of the stadium. Netting would interfere with both the souvenir aspect of the game and the line of sight, but I understand the concerns about safety. I agree that most of the incidents involve people being careless. One of the stories involved a small child getting hit in the head because their parent went to the concession stands. However, there's nothing you can do about a flying broken bat.
Dude. You're at some point in the game going to take your eyes off the game. Not because you're not interested but because maybe you're ordering a beer; your kid is asking you something; or you see a chick with a huge rack pass by. You're not ALWAYS going to see every pitch or at-bat. Chill.
agree with this and the comment about vicious line drives not being part of the fan experience. you shouldnt be required to focus intently for 300 pitches when you go to a baseball game.
It will take someone's death. Severe injuries aren't doing it. When someone dies, changes will be made.
I think increased netting is needed and is coming. It doesn't necessarily need to go all the way down the line, but certainly an increase in what we have now. I think we will always have a situation where many foul balls go into the stands, but the line drives need more protection.
Sure. 100% agree. I'm not advocating that every fan in every game pay 110% attention. My point was that these injuries aren't happening all around the stadium. These injuries occur in an overwhelming majority only in the first few rows behind the dugout. I get the argument for minimal netting expansions. But I really don't think encompassing the entire field is a good idea.
I don't want a net. MLB has been around nearly 150 years. Were fewer people getting hit by line drives before?
Since 1969, there have been 23 deaths at MLB stadiums. The vast majority were alcohol and/or falling related (with more stairwell-related falls than upper to lower deck falls). Few (I could not find any) were caused from foul balls. See the CNN story below, there is lot of interesting information on the issue. The only foul-ball related death was a score keeper in 1902. He was sharpening his pencil with a knife. Foul ball hit him...you get the rest. RIP Stanton Walker. http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/26/us/stadium-falls/
Fan struck by line-drive foul ball, taken off on stretcher at Wrigley Field http://espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id/13495019/wrigley-field-fan-hit-liner-taken-stretcher CHICAGO -- A fan was struck by a line-drive foul ball and taken away on a stretcher in the first inning of Sunday's game between the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field. The Cubs said the female fan was conscious and taken to a hospital. Kyle Schwarber lined a foul ball just beyond the camera well on the first-base side, striking the fan. Cubs first-base coach Brandon Hyde reacted by putting his hands on his helmet after he saw the fan get hit. The game was briefly stopped as fans and ushers waved for medics. On Friday, a female fan in Detroit was injured by a foul ball behind the Tigers' dugout. Earlier this year, a Massachusetts woman was seriously injured after being struck in the head by a broken bat in the stands at Fenway Park. Last month, an Oakland Athletics season ticket-holder asked a federal court in a lawsuit to order Major League Baseball to extend the safety netting at its ballparks the entire length of the foul lines.
I think it would be easier to just ban women. Always seems to be women getting hurt from these incidents.
No, just act like you're been to a baseball game before. 1) pay attention for the short time during half-innings when the ball is in play 2) that's it 3) really, that's it
Paying attention is not in a single person's full control. If the people next to you are causing problems, or if kids around you are doing something, you'll be distracted regardless. Or if the ball ricochets off the top of a seat into your head, there is nothing you could do. Going to games is supposed to be fun for fans. Socializing is part of that in a baseball game - if you have to stare at the at-bat the whole time when only a tiny fraction of it is the actual swing (much of it is batters messing with their batting gloves, etc), it takes away much of the fun for many people. Unless netting severely detracts from the game experience - more so than requiring everyone to pay 100% attention or suffer the risk of injury - what is the argument against it? No one behind home plate seems to think netting is terrible or problematic.
I disagree, Major, no matter what else is going on, other people's kids or johnny jackass on his cellphone or whatever, it is impossible to not be able to watch the pitcher and batter. It's pretty simple, actually, for the whole 18 or so minutes that the ball is in play for a 3 hour baseball game. I know they will extend the nets to past the dugouts, eventueally. I just don't like it.
