Off-season contemplation of fan safety risks from foul balls is needed to stop ongoing serious injuries throughout professional baseball.
As Major League Baseball prepares to host its annual winter meetings in Dallas from December 8 to 12, Foul Ball Safety Now urges everyone who loves baseball to contemplate what must be done in the off-season to ensure that no more serious fan injuries from foul balls occur throughout professional baseball.
Unfortunately, several incidents during the World Series — and many more during the 2024 season across both MLB and the minor leagues — provide ample evidence that foul balls continue to pose unnecessary risks to fan safety.
During Game 1 of the World Series at Dodgers Stadium on October 25, a man was hit in the face by a foul ball during the 8th inning, and was taken out on a stretcher with a possible broken nose.
At batting practice prior to Game 1, a broadcast TV anchor was hit in the chest by a foul ball and received medical attention.
Then in Game 4 at Yankee Stadium on October 29, a woman was hit in the face by a foul ball, suffering from swollen eyes and profuse bleeding, according to a credible witness who was seated near the injured woman behind home plate.
League officials should also review the scenario evident during the final Game 5 at Yankee Stadium on October 30, when a young boy battling cancer was seated with his mother in complimentary seats in the front row along the first base line that were not protected by safety netting.
“These are all important reminders for everyone to contemplate in the off-season before ballparks open again in 2025,” according to Jordan Skopp, founder of Foul Ball Safety Now.
“Professional baseball needs to be more mindful of the risks of life-altering injuries to fans, particularly children. Everyone can watch the powerful video which I call Exhibit A to understand the risk of dangerous foul balls flying into the stands,” Skopp said.
About Foul Ball Safety Now
Foul Ball Safety Now! is a campaign started by Jordan Skopp, a Brooklyn realtor, lifelong baseball fan, and author of a forthcoming book about the wildly overlooked scandal in the professional baseball industry – the all-too-frequent incidence of fans being maimed by dangerous foul balls due to the lack of extended protective netting, and related failures to educate fans about their assumed risk at the ballgame. For more information, visit Foul Ball Safety Now https://www.foulballsafetynow.com/