VIDEO: First Glimpse of White Sox Extended Netting Emerges
By Sean Facey
The Chicago White Sox are pioneering fan safety here during the All-Star break. With public outcry for extended netting reaching a peak this season, the White Sox committed to giving the fans more protection. Now, the first scenes of the new protective netting have emerged.
As promised, the @whitesox are extending the protective netting at Guaranteed Rate Field all the way to each foul pole. They are the first @MLB team to do so. @cbschicago #Whitesox/SoxTV pic.twitter.com/1n2nazrYvr
— Ryan Baker (@RyanBakerMedia) July 10, 2019
The netting will stretch all the way down to the foul poles on both the left and right field lines. The White Sox are the first team in the MLB to extend the netting that far.
Multiple incidents of fans, particularly children, getting struck by line drives into the stands this year sparked the initial, fervent conversation about extending the nets.
One of the most notable cases was that of a two-year-old fan in Houston who was struck in the head by a blistering foul ball off the bat of Albert Almora Jr. She suffered a skull fracture and seizures following the incident.
White Sox began installing extended netting at Guaranteed Rate Field this week and expect to have it completed well in advance of the next homestand. White Sox players endorsed the measure when it was announced https://t.co/FaIH75mpZC
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) July 10, 2019
Frankly, this innovation has been a long time coming. Far too often, fans like the young girl in Houston have had their lives changed, all because they were struck by a ball.
Hopefully other teams start to follow suit and put the safety of the fans at the top of their priority list. Nobody wants to attend a ballgame in fear, and extending the netting is the best way to make sure that doesn't happen.