Recently, spectators during Major League Baseball (MLB) games at Fenway Park in Boston, MA and Turner Field in Atlanta, GA died or were severely injured under circumstances that would not have been foreseen (3). Since then, the MLB has recommended that all teams lengthen their ballparks’ safety netting in order to offer more fan protection (4). This suggests that an under-recognized public health risk may exist for the general community in attendance at sporting events despite their substantial popularity as recreational destinations. However, records of fatalities or injuries to MLB spectators are limited to anecdotal reports (2,3), and a publically available centralized registry does not exist. To bridge this knowledge gap, we conducted a comprehensive Internet search for injuries to spectators at MLB games from 2009 to 2014, and distributed an ethics board-approved survey to MLB team representatives to understand current practices for cataloguing fan injuries.
We identified through publically available media reports 33 MLB spectators injured at 20 different venues (age range 4–69 yr; 15% ≤13 yr; 64% male), including 6 (18%) fatalities and 27 (82%) non-fatal injuries (Table). All fatalities were primarily a consequence of traumatic brain injury from blunt head trauma. Injuries involving trauma to the face or skull also occurred in the majority of non-fatal events (N=20), including skull fracture (N=7), traumatic brain injury (N=4), and retinal detachment (N=1). We observed in this cohort that death or injury was caused by a foul ball (39%), fall (27%), stray baseball bat (15%), or violent assault (6%). For the survey, of 30 team representatives contacted, 63% did not return communications despite multiple correspondences. Furthermore, of the 11 contacted successfully, 7 declined to answer survey questions citing legal reasons, team policy, or disinterest, while none of the 4 teams that acknowledged official record keeping of fan injuries were willing to disclose any further information.
Table.
Major League Baseball (MLB) fan injuries from 2009 to 2014 reported in the popular media
| Case | Stadium | Date | Age (yr) |
Sex | Fatality | Injury | Mechanism |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Marlins Park | June 29, 2014 | N/A | M | N | Facial injury | Hit by foul ball, striking two fans |
| 2. | Marlins Park | June 29, 2014 | N/A | F | N | Facial injury | Hit by foul ball, striking two fans |
| 3. | Miller Park | June 3, 2014 | N/A | M | N | Contusions | Fall over wall in outfield |
| 4. | Turner Field | May 20, 2014 | 8 | M | N | Head injury | Hit by foul ball |
| 5. | Fenway Park | May 16, 2014 | 22 | F | N | Head injury, spine injury, and facial fractures | Fall two stories down an elevator shaft |
| 6. | Yankee Stadium | April 29, 2014 | N/A | F | N | Facial injury | Hit by foul ball |
| 7. | Oriole Park at Camden Yards | August 2013 | 10 | F | N | Skull and facial fractures | Hit by foul ball |
| 8. | Turner Field | July 16, 2013 | 30 | M | Y | Head injury | Suicidal jump off railing |
| 9. | Fenway Park | August 6, 2012 | N/A (child) | M | N | Facial contusion | Hit by ground foul ball |
| 10. | Petco Park | July 9, 2012 | N/A | M | N | Shoulder contusion | Hit by foul ball |
| 11. | Coors Field | May 5, 2012 | 20 | F | N | N/A injury | Hit by foul ball |
| 12. | Coors Field | April 9, 2012 | 69 | F | N | Concussion | Hit by foul ball |
| 13. | Comerica Park | October 12, 2011 | N/A | M | N | N/A injuries | Fall through fence on railing |
| 14. | Yankee Stadium | July 30, 2011 | N/A | M | N | Facial injuries | Hit by foul ball |
| 15. | Globe Life Park in Arlington | July 7, 2011 | 39 | F | Y | Head injury | Fall over railing in left field reaching for ball tossed by outfielder |
| 16. | Coors Field | May 24, 2011 | 27 | M | Y | Head injury | Fall after sliding down a staircase |
| 17. | Kauffman Stadium | April 29, 2011 | 4 | F | N | Skull fracture | Hit by foul ball |
| 18. | Kauffman Stadium | March 31, 2011 | 64 | F | N | Facial fractures | Hit by broken bat |
| 19. | Dodger Stadium | March 31, 2011 | 42 | M | N | Disabling brain injury | Assault |
| 20. | Fenway Park | September 9, 2010 | N/A | M | N | Facial injury | Hit by foul ball |
| 21. | Chase Field | September 6, 2010 | 13 | M | N | Head injury | Hit by flying bat |
| 22. | Citi Field | August 19, 2010 | N/A | M | N | Facial contusion | Hit by flying bat |
| 23. | Fenway Park | August 18, 2010 | 21 | M | N | Brain injuries and facial fractures | Fall over staircase railing |
| 24. | Tropicana Field | July 30, 2010 | 47 | M | N | Facial laceration | Hit by broken bat |
| 25. | Great American Ballpark | July 7, 2010 | N/A | F | N | Facial injury | Hit by broken bat |
| 26. | Globe Life Park in Arlington | July 6, 2010 | 25 | M | N | Skull and extremity fractures | Fall off railing trying to catch a foul ball |
| 27. | Dodger Stadium | June 2, 2010 | N/A | F | N | Scalp laceration | Hit by broken bat |
| 28. | Turner Field | May 30, 2010 | 6 | F | N | Multiple skull fractures and N/A brain injury | Hit by foul ball |
| 29. | Miller Park | April 25, 2010 | 51 | M | Y | Head injury | Fall over wall in outfield reaching for ball during batting practice just prior to the game |
| 30. | Citizen’s Bank Park | July 25, 2009 | 22 | M | Y | Traumatic brain injury, spinal injury, and intra-abdominal injury | Assault |
| 31. | Busch Stadium | June 26, 2009 | 34 | M | N | Superficial contusions and shoulder injury | Fall over railing, possibly after syncope |
| 32. | Kauffman Stadium | September 2009 | 53 | M | N | Detached retina | Hit by hot dog thrown by mascot |
| 33. | Angel Stadium of Anaheim | April 6, 2009 | 27 | M | Y | Head injury | Assault |
Serious or fatal injury to spectators at MLB games is likely to be uncommon, although we believe that the true incidence of these events is greater than this report suggests (1–3). Nonetheless, the potential for death and serious injury to fans at MLB games constitutes an important risk of recreational activities. The leisurely setting, family-friendly marketing, and access to alcohol at professional sporting events may deceive spectators to the potentially serious hazards of attendance. We believe that systematic surveillance of these events through an injury registry (5), as well as enhanced awareness among fans regarding the risks associated with game attendance, is likely to help preserve safety for fans and the sanctity of the game.
Contributor Information
Mark R. Zonfrillo, Department of Emergency Medicine, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, 55 Claverick Street, 2nd Floor, Providence, RI 02903, zonfrillo@brown.edu.
Nicholas G. Janigian, Villanova University, 131 Applegate Road, Cranston, RI 02920, njanigia@villanova.edu
Bradley A. Maron, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 77 Ave. Louis Pasteur, NRB-Rm 0630-N, Boston, MA 02115, bmaron@partners.org.
REFERENCES
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