Baseball Fan Advocate Jordan Skopp Creating Independent Safety Netting Council to Perform Comprehensive Review of MLB Ballpark Safety Standards
Industry: Sports
First-of-its-kind Council Plans to Audit Major and Minor League Ballparks for Adequate Safety Netting with a Goal of Protecting At-Risk Fans from Foul Balls
Brooklyn, NY (PRUnderground) March 16th, 2021
Life-long baseball fan and stadium safety advocate Jordan Skopp announced today he has formed the first-ever Independent Safety Netting Council to survey each Major and Minor League facility in the U.S. for the current status of foul ball safety protections, including extended netting.
On the safety netting council and an associated advisory board, Skopp aims to include specialists with experience in baseball field construction, netting design professionals, medical professionals, victims of foul ball injuries, and prominent people with a concern for public safety.
At ballparks with inadequate safety netting, fans are at risk of being struck by a foul ball, which can cause traumatic injury and even death. Since 2008, at least 39 children have been seriously injured by foul balls that rocketed into exposed seating areas, and a growing number of adults have been maimed at professional ballparks as well.
In a letter earlier this year, Skopp asked Major League Baseball (MLB) to retrofit their parks with safety netting for the safety of fans of all ages. The new Independent Council Skopp is forming will be charged with auditing each professional baseball park, sharing their findings with the public, and making first-impression recommendations to MLB.
“The creation of an Independent Safety Netting Council is yet another milestone in our overall strategy to raise awareness about the deadly threat foul balls present to fans at ballparks across our nation,” said Skopp. “We hope this council will help convince the MLB to do the right thing and install adequate safety netting and other retrofits needed at all facilities so fans young and old can safely enjoy America’s pastime.”
To formally announce the first-ever independent netting council and further raise public awareness about this safety issue, Skopp is hosting a virtual press conference on Thursday, March 18th at 7:00 PM ET (see details below). Skopp and invited speakers will discuss why the independent netting council is necessary and how they envision the proposed inspection of the major and minor league parks will take place. Speakers include individuals who have suffered greatly because of inadequate safety netting at major and minor league ballparks, including:
- Erwin Goldbloom, the widower of Linda Goldbloom who was killed by a foul ball incident at Dodger Stadium in 2018
- Jana Brody, daughter of Erwin and Linda Goldbloom, who will talk about the tragic loss of her mother to a fatal foul ball injury.
- Stephanie Wapenski, who was hit in the head at Fenway Park while attending a Boston Red Sox game in 2015. She received 40 stitches.
- Alexis Hoskey, who was just 4 years old when she was hit by a ball while attending a Kansas City Royals game in 2011. She experienced major head trauma.
- Alexis Pavlinec, a 10-year-old who suffered a concussion and 2 facial fractures when she was struck by a foul ball at a Lakewood, NJ Jersey Shore BlueCrabs Minor League game in 2014 while waiting for refreshments at a concession stand.
- And others to be announced at the press conference.
Skopp is hopeful that fans and concerned citizens will step forward to volunteer to assess their local MLB and MiLB ballparks and collect eyewitness evidence of the status of safety netting and possible inadequacies to be inspected further.
Skopp is the founder of Foul Ball Safety Now which hosts a public petition addressed to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred demanding immediate action to protect fans.
Press Conference Details:
Jordan Skopp’s Foul Ball Safety NOW Press Conference
Time: Mar 18, 2021 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 938 8211 0417
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Meeting ID: 938 8211 0417
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About Jordan Skopp
Jordan Skopp is a baseball fan, stadium safety advocate, and author of an upcoming book detailing foul ball injuries at professional parks and what can be done to ensure fan safety. Skopp is the founder of foulballsafetynow.com.
