Dangers at the Ballpark

There are few experiences growing up that rival going to the ballpark with your father to see a baseball game. It is more than sitting in the stands and cheering on your favorite team. It is more than eating hot dogs and sharing a bag of peanuts. It is more than having that mitt ready just in case a foul ball comes your way. No, what makes the trip to the ballpark so special is the bond and connection it builds between father and son. It is a tradition passed down by generations and repeated every day at baseball parks throughout America.

Two weeks ago, Shannon Stone, a 39 year old firefighter from Texas, followed this long tradition and brought his 6 year old son, Connor, to the Ballpark at Arlington to see his beloved Texas Rangers play against the Oakland Athletics. What should have been a memorable night at the ballpark for father and son quickly turned into a nightmare when Stone fell from the stands and plummeted to his death 20 feet below. Stone was leaning over the front-row rail trying to do what any dad would do – catch a call ball for his son – when he lost his balance and fell to the ground below. His son, Connor, watched in horror alone in the stands. His hero had fallen.

For Connor, baseball will never be the same. It is hard to imagine that he’ll ever be able to walk into a ballpark without reliving his father’s tragic death. The haunting memory of his father falling will be with him for the rest of his life. And, as a father, it breaks my heart that this little boy now has to grow up without his hero by his side.

No one goes to the ballpark thinking they are going to get hurt or killed, but the unfortunate reality is that going to a baseball game can be dangerous. Countless spectators have been seriously injured, and even killed, by foul balls and bats flying into the stands, and falls like that which claimed the life of Shannon Stone.

The death of Shannon Stone has sent shockwaves through Major League Baseball, and teams are said to be reviewing stadium safety following this tragedy. Suggestions have included increasing the height of stadium railings, expanding the use of protective netting, installing plexi-glass, increasing the setbacks from the seat to the rail, installing shelving below the front row, among other options.

Texas Rangers president, Nolan Ryan, promised that “we’ll do whatever we have to do to make this stadium as safe as we can.” Connor Stone deserves that much.

—Sean Quinn