MLB has discussed the idea of extending protective netting down the baselines and a few teams have already taken up the cause.
There is often a desire to keep a sport as pure as possible. Fans want an authentic experience when attending in person. They pay money instead of watching the game on television, so an obstructed view is undesirable.
The experience is supposed to be enjoyable, but things can turn tragic in a split second at any baseball game.
Anyone who has attended a baseball game and sat on either baseline can attest to the fact that it is sometimes a terrifying experience.
And let’s get something out of the way early: this isn’t to say baseball games are so dangerous they should be avoided all together. I have attended countless games and have sat on the baselines, but it is hard to deny that one must pay attention each and every pitch for the entire game.
The only other major sport that has a similar experience is hockey, but pucks fly into the crowd at high speeds much less often than at baseball games.
The Kansas City Royals have already decided to extend the netting to the end of each dugout, where screaming foul balls have a propensity to injure fans.
There may be an initial outrage among fans who have been sitting in those seats for a long time, but the extended netting should result in a decrease in fans being injured by foul balls.
There will still be those injured farther down the lines near the foul poles, but extending netting all the way to the foul poles is something that will likely never happen. Nor is it necessary, as it would create problems for players on the field.
The netting being extended to the end of each dugout is enough, and a move that is surprising because of how long it took.
Major sports are often reactionary when installing safety measures for both fans and players alike, but it is not like fans just started getting injured by foul balls last year.
It has been hard for a game to go start to finish without someone diving out of the way (if not being hit) by a liner.
No one attending a sporting event should have to consider major injury as part of the experience, which is why MLB should go ahead and require teams to install extended protective netting.
Fans may be upset about it now, but it will eventually become an accepted part of the experience after a few years. A slightly obstructed view should be seen as a much better alternative than going to the hospital.