Safety is a huge concern for the sports world. No matter which sport being discussed, safety of that sport's players as well as spectators has always been of importance. But, how far is "too far", or does it matter? I think the answer to this question is similar to the answer of whether one should be insured, and how much insurance is necessary?
Let's look at baseball, as it is presently baseball season.
The game itself
Baseball has been around for a bit over 100 years. The rules remain virtually unchanged in terms of the actual object of the game - score more runs than the opponent - as well as how it is played. There are nine fielders defending both infield and outfield. The visitors bat first. The "home" team bats last in each inning, of which there are at least nine in a non-rain game, and no game ends in a tie, so extra innings are played until a winner is achieved. Easy enough. The sport is played on a "diamond" with a mound in the "middle" sixty feet from home plate. The diamond is made up of bases at each of the corners, and the perimeter of the diamond is comprised of 90 foot intervals from base to base. There is a pitcher who throws a hard core, leather baseball sewn with raised seams, the latter of which allows the pitcher some leeway in the type of pitch thrown - fastball, curve ball, screw ball, slider, knuckle ball, fork ball, etc. All major league pitchers have the ability to change up the speed of the ball thrown. Behind home plate sits the catcher, crouched down. The catcher provides sign "language" to the pitcher explaining which pitch is to be thrown. The batter stands in a batter's box near the plate. An umpire stands/crouches behind the catcher, and the home umpire (there are usually 4 umpires - home, first, second, and third) is the head umpire for the game. There is a first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop (plays between second and third, but usually further back off the infield), and a left fielder, center fielder, and right fielder.
How to Play Baseball
The objective is broken down into, for the team at bat, to get batters on base and to bring them around to score. Each time a player goes 360 feet (from home to first, second, third, and home again) the team receives one run. The team in the field has the objective of obtaining three outs per inning before the other team scores (or to stop the scoring threat). The batter uses a wooden bat (a stick with a larger hitting side and which is tube-like, except that it is not hollow) to hit the ball thrown towards home plate. A strike is called if the baseball is thrown over home plate between a batter's knees and waist, though this tends to be subjective depending on the umpire calling the game. A pitch that is not called a strike is considered a ball. If a batter makes contact with the ball, and it is not caught by a fielder (including the catcher), but the ball is not put into play, it is considered a foul ball. If a batter fouls off a pitch, it will be considered a strike. Once two strikes are called against a batter, any further foul balls not caught do not count as a strike or a ball, and the batter continues his at-bat. If a batter obtains three strikes, the batter is recorded out. If, however, a third strike is called, but the catcher drops the ball, the batter may try to take first base if unoccupied. If the batter reaches first base before the ball gets to the first baseman, the batter is safe, and the strikeout is not considered an out - the fielding team must still obtain that out another way. If a batter obtains four balls, he is entitled to first base without a throw. Play continues until three outs are recorded. Then the teams switch sides. Each of the nine players take turns as batter in an order specified at the beginning of the game in a written batting order produced to the umpire by each manager. The pitcher in the American League does not bat, so a designated hitter from the non-fielding players takes that spot on the batting order.
Safety / Equipment
Originally, the catcher wore a fat glove and the fielders wore thin small gloves with a tiny "pocket", to assist in catching the ball. The players wore pants, short-sleeved shirt, socks, baseball shoes, and a soft cap with a bill to help shade the eyes from the sun. Catchers quickly upgraded to using a thin padded chest protector and shin guards, as it became obvious that pitchers would not always throw the ball into the catcher's mitt. Soon, catchers and umpires began using a metal face mask that fit snugly onto the cap and could be removed quickly while trying to catch the ball or tag a runner out.
However, even though pitchers threw very hard - sometimes, the ball traveled over 80 or even 90 miles per hour towards the batter - batters did not upgrade safety equipment for decades. It was very common in the 1950's and 1960's for batters to be without a helmet. Several players were injured due to balls thrown at their heads. A few lost vision or had such severe concussions that they were forced to retire. Eventually, MLB rules came to require that all batters wear helmet "caps" (1971). Again, by 1983, batters were required to wear an ear flap on the side facing the pitcher, to better protect their ear from a stray ball. However, to this day, batters are not required to wear any facial protection, such as a face shield, cage, or mouthguard. Some have voluntarily worn elbow, shin, or ankle protection, but this also is not required.
In hockey, helmets came into the rule book in the 1980's. Face shields are being discussed as a mandatory requirement beginning in 2014. Goalies have modified pads and masks.
Safety changes over time have not been without hesitation, suspicion, and/or criticism. Yet, changes are being made again and again. Punishments are being modified to serve as stronger deterrents. We will continue to see changes made in all sports. But, the problem is not just pro sports: youth sports have seen a rise in injuries, yet also a delay in better protecting children from the adverse effects of sports and the injuries that result. More to come in the upcoming weeks.
Abe
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