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Keith Strudler: Facing Fears

I have no problem admitting that I am afraid of several things. Like roller coasters, I really hate roller coasters. I’ve been on two in my life, one out of stupidity and one for a girl, and neither was a good idea. I’ve got a little fear of heights, I’m scared to death of sharks, and so on.  If you are looking for a rugged, tough, fearless man, than you need to keep looking. I wear my fears like I do everything else – with confidence.

So that said, one of my lifelong apprehensions has been baseball. Not the sport itself, but the actual baseball. Namely, I’ve always been a little afraid of getting knocked in the head by a foul ball, a shot that cascades into the stands and gets to me before I can get out of the way. I’m not sure exactly where this fear came from. Perhaps it’s because I never played organized baseball as a kid. So I never had to stand in the batter’s box while someone of questionable accuracy and intent tried to pitch past me. I’m not afraid of soccer balls, or basketballs, or track spikes, all pastimes from my youth. But whenever I’m at a baseball game and hear the crack of the bat, I automatically flinch, which can make for a long and much less relaxing summer afternoon at the ballpark.

There are ways around this. Like by sitting up high in the cheap seats, where even Mark McGuire in his heyday couldn’t get it. And even if it miraculously did, it would be pop fly, not a screamer down the line. But if you want to sit close, or say someone gives you really good seats, or let’s say you’re at a minor league game or a college game where pretty much the whole park is foul ball territory, you’re pretty much screwed. Basically, if you’re like me and see catching a foul ball not as a lifelong dream but rather a deadly encounter, like a lion or a rattle snake, going to a baseball game is far more risk than reward.

Major league baseball itself has recognized that sentiment as well. After a series of high profile injuries to fans last year, the league encouraged all teams to put up more safety netting down the first and third base lines. This netting, previously found only more closely to the seats behind home plate, keeps balls and bats where I believe they should be – on the field of play. According to some fans, this also makes for a worse day at the park, now that you’re staring through a web and don’t have a shot at a souvenir. There’s a whole lot more that goes into this – like the fact that today’s baseball fan spends most of the game staring at an iPhone, which can do whole lot of things, but can’t tell you when to duck. And pitchers throw harder, batters swing faster, and all that has led to a steadily increasing number of injuries in recent years.

This is exactly what we looked at in our new HBO Real Sports/Marist Poll done with the Marist College Center for Sports Communication. In the study released last night, we found that just over half, 54% of all baseball fans support adding more safety netting close to the field. Women, at 60%, like it more than men at 48%. And not surprisingly, older fans like it more than younger ones, who clearly live more fearlessly. Oh, to be young.

50% say they’d like to sit behind netting when close to the field – although only 41% of men agree. That number skyrockets to 77% of fans attending with young children. Which begs the question, what in the world is wrong with those 23%?

And finally, perhaps most importantly from a business perspective, only 25% of baseball fans said netting makes the game less enjoyable to watch, while 66% said it makes no difference.

What do all those numbers mean? Well, at the very least, the tide seems to be turning from historical angst against evolution in America’s most storied game, a moniker that has positive and negative connotation. Where once baseball fans couldn’t stomach the thought of changing the fan experience, today’s fan seems increasingly likely to consider the other side. Where you can watch a game without the fear of unintentional concussion. And even if they don’t like the idea, only a quarter think it actually makes a difference. For someone who’s wanted safer ballparks for some time, I’d call it progress. Maybe not a home run, but a solid double for sure.

Many parks have already added additional netting on MLB’s recommendations. I’m hoping this data might encourage even more to follow suit. It might not do anything about roller coasters or sharks, but perhaps with baseball’s help, this could be one fear I could actually leave behind.

Keith Strudler is the director of the Marist College Center for Sports Communication and an associate professor of communication. You can follow him on twitter at @KeithStrudler

 
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.

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