Masks on Batting Helmets - Don't Be Silly No Matter What Your Age

It's not true that football players WILL get their faces broken without a mask. Back in the day there were many seasons of maskless football and I don't believe I recall one televised game where faces were broken. Not even quarterbacks, who wore that one-rod piece of plastic.

Why risk a permanent facial injury? What is the reward? A face mask (batter's or fielder's) doesn't negatively impact the game. In fact, they enhance the game.

Why be a negative influence on something as important as the health and future of an athlete? It's this kind of influence that discourages players from making wise decisions. Imagine this kind of negative influence coming from a teammate. That's undesirable peer pressure.

 

While we'll have to respectively disagree on whether masks are a detriment or enhance the game, my thought processes are this. First would i prefer if my kid wore a face mask, YES. Spent too much on braces and such to have it get messed up again. Does she refuse to..YEP. No pitching mask, no batting mask, hell i can't even get her to wear a mouth guard. Why? SHE says it impedes her vision. SHE doesn't like it. I've begged pleaded and conjouled. (a teammate had her nose broken on a foul ball back into her face last year-guess what she STILL doesn't wear a face mask) Her response, "I respectfully disagree". What am I gonna do? Disown her?
I'm tired of people telling us we're stupid or ignorant or plain deviant because we don't do what someone, a study, or statistics tell us SHOULD be the right thing to do. Here's an idea, let people make their own decisions on what's right for them!!
Mine took a line drive back last year and broke her thumb. 2 pitchers have been killed in the last year w/ line drives back to their CHEST, so now people say we're stupid if she doesn't wear a chest protector. Where does it end? For me softball will be alot more safe when they are wearing full sets or armor (for their "protection") but it will be ALOT less exciting

 

I call BS on your comment that football players were not getting their faces broken.

Every game there were bloody faces on each team. Maybe not all the players in the game were busted up, but this was a normal occurance. It happened so often they had to make it a rule.

 

I didn't say football players weren't getting their faces broken. I said not all football players WILL get their faces broken. And I said I never saw it on TV.


Exactly! They had to make it a rule. That's all I ask, also.

Some need rules for their own protection, some figure it out on their own. Just like speed limits on the roads, some don't need those rules.

 

You are still not making good comparisons. Speed limits don't protect the person who drives fast, there are in place to protect the people that drive normally!

If what someone is doing is unsafe for other people then by all means we need a law! If what someone is doing will only hurt them, then make that person aware of the risk, but don't make them do it the safer way.


Remember we are discussing adults, not minors!

 

I respect the freedom of choice.

Having said that, I hope that those in a position to protect the health of their players care enough about them to do so.

 

My boys play baseball, are softball players getting hit in the face more than baseball player, just asking?

 

Yes, I have been involved with coaching and umpiring all levels of youth baseball and softball for 21 yrs. I have seen only one baseball player bunt a ball off the plate into his face, and one adult league baseball player take a fastball to the mouth. I have seen 2 softball players have the ball go directly from the bat to the face(1 HS and 1 D3 player), and 3 to the face mask. I have seen numerous base runners take tags to the face in softball as well.


HS and some leagues have made it mandatory for batters to have a face mask on their batting helmets.