Face Masks Essay

Face Mask Madness
The foundation of athletics, primarily focusing on baseball, revolves around the rules and regulations that go along with the contact sport. Many of the guidelines are in play as safety precautions. Some of the rules are more evident while observing the games than others, such as batters wearing helmets. Helmets are a staple from little league all the way until Major League Baseball. However, face masks are not required in the majority of leagues after children progress from younger age groups. The issue that results from the lack of face masks involves a number of concussions that could be prevented, as well as other areas of the face being at risk. Face masks should be required for every player on the field, including pitchers, batters, and fielders, especially at the high school level in Louisiana.
Baseball has been a major endeavor for adolescents in high school, not only in Louisiana, but around the world.
The Louisiana High School Athletic Association, usually referred to as the LHSAA, sets the rules and regulations for high school sports in Louisiana. Their mission is “to direct and regulate the interscholastic athletics of our member schools while promoting fair and equitable competition that is in the best interest of the student-athlete.” (“Baseball”) While the LHSAA does establish numerous rules to be followed, they do not require high school baseball players to wear face masks. Because baseball is a contact sport, players should be required to wear face masks. According to Kids, Sports, And Concussion: A Guide for Coaches and Parents, in a contact sport, collisions of players are expected but should not be deliberate. Although the blows to the players are not intentional, this does not mean that no harm may
result.
While wearing face masks would greatly diminish the number of concussions that occur in high school baseball each year, some people may argue against the modification. One reason for the opposition may be based on the comfort of the players. While face masks shield against oncoming baseballs, the gear is not ideal for relaxation. Another claim may stem from a player’s ability being hindered by the excess equipment. However, once a player becomes aware of the additional gear, he will begin to adjust his performance accordingly and will be further protected from the high speed of baseballs. Consistent with “National High School Athlete Concussion Rates From 2005-2006 to 2011-2012”, wearing a face mask will help to reduce the number of concussions in the future.
In spite of the negative assertions associated with incorporating mandatory face masks in high school baseball, pitchers would no longer have to fear a swiftly returning baseball. A common injury to pitchers occurs after a pitch is thrown. The resulting hit by the batter can often return directly back to the pitcher. Since the pitcher is just ending his motion, he may not always have adequate time to react and catch the ball. A concussion is easily obtained during this scenario. The addition of a face mask would cause the pitcher’s face to be further protected from the baseball directly hitting the pitcher and thus causing a concussion.
Moreover, all batters should be required to wear face masks. The batter is the player in most danger of being hit with a baseball. According to Kids, Sports, And Concussion: A Guide for Coaches and Parents, “concussions most often occur when the player is struck in the head with the ball. Usually, the player is struck in the head with a pitch.” (Meehan) A slight miscalculation from the pitcher of the opposing team can easily cause the batter an injury. Without a face mask, the baseball has the ability to make direct contact with the batter’s face, including his forehead and temple. Because the temple area is extremely delicate, a severe concussion may occur. As stated in "Average Reaction Time for Different Baseball Pitches by Age Group and Mound Distance," about half of a second is used for a player to decide the type of pitch, determine if it's a strike or a ball, take into consideration the speed of the pitched ball, and complete their stride to make contact with the baseball. Furthermore, other aspects reduce the reaction time for the batters:
However, then you realize there may be some other factors involved, such as the pitcher strides in front of the pitching rubber toward the plate before he releases the ball, the hitter must make contact with the ball well in front of the rear of home plate, the pitch speed displayed on the radar gun is the speed close to release of the ball, not the average speed. ("Average Reaction Time for Different Baseball Pitches by Age Group and Mound Distance")
In addition to pitchers and batters, fielders should also be protected from the fast speed of baseballs. A ground ball can bounce on rocks or bumps found in the ground and cause an unexpected hop toward an infield player, again creating another scenario for a concussion. For infield and outfield baseball players, pop-flies, especially when the sun is beaming, may not be easy for the player to judge exactly where to place his glove. The baseball can easily come down to hit the player’s face. Even if a player is able to judge, the baseball may land at the tip of the glove and fall out onto the player’s face, causing pain as well as injuries.
In accordance with "National High School Athlete Concussion Rates From 2005-2006 to 2011-2012," for every thousand high school baseball players, about fifteen to twenty of the players will experience a concussion each year. While this may not sound like a large amount, the use of face masks will further reduce this number. Requiring Louisiana high school baseball players to wear face masks will improve the overall safety of the favorite pastime. Perhaps taking advantage of the objective present on LHSAA’s website that states, “our goal is to inspire all high school athletes to adopt healthy injury-preventative actions” will create a domino effect of concussion prevention techniques, including the habit of wearing face masks.