Life-long baseball fan and stadium safety advocate Jordan Skopp announced today that his new Minor League Baseball (MiLB) Stadium Study reveals more than a third (42) of that league’s teams have failed to install safety netting past their dugouts.
The stat is alarming because, when no netting is installed, fans are directly in the firing range of deadly foul balls, missiles that travel in excess of 100 mph, which have seriously injured and maimed hundreds of spectators, including a large number of children.
“At this point, I urge parents to stop taking their children to the Minor League ballparks listed in our study until adequate safety netting is installed,” said Skopp. “Without adequate safety netting in place, a day at the park to root for a local favorite can turn into a life-changing nightmare.”
In a letter earlier this year, Skopp asked MLB leadership to honor its recommendation to retrofit ballparks league-wide with safety netting. Further to that, during MLB’s Spring Training, he wrote the governors of Florida and Arizona to warn them about inadequate netting at their ballfields. Now Skopp is considering writing the governors of the states where these Minor Leagues stadiums reside, asking them to step in and take legislative measures to protect their constituents before someone else is injured or killed.
The reality is, from the New Hampshire Fisher Cats to the Frisco Rough Riders, there’s a good chance that the Minor League Ballpark you visit this summer will not have netting in place to shield you from potential injury.
“It’s simply amazing,” said Skopp. “I’ve talked to a number of players who proactively warn their family members to avoid certain ballpark seating sections because they know the very real threat foul balls represent.”
To formally discuss the findings of his MiLB stadium netting audit, Skopp is hosting a virtual press conference this Thursday, April 29thth at 7:00 PM ET (see details below).
Skopp will be joined by several individuals and their family members whose lives have been forever changed because of inadequate safety netting at major and minor league ballparks. Guest speaking at the press conference include:
- 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. That was ten years ago, this very week, when she experienced major head trauma that still affects her today.
- Tracy Nabors, whose jaw was fractured in three places and had to be wired shut when she was struck by a foul ball at a Houston Astros game in 2019
Skopp is the founder of Foul Ball Safety Now!, a website that hosts a public petition addressed to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred demanding immediate action to protect fans.
Earlier in April, Skopp released a study of Major League ballparks that revealed similar shortcomings in safety netting coverage. You can find the complete Minor League report at Foul Ball Safety Now!
Press Conference Details:
Jordan Skopp’s Foul Ball Safety Now! Press Conference
Time: Thursday – April 29, 2021 – 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/92257590897
Meeting ID: 922 5759 0897
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Meeting ID: 922 5759 0897
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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.
