Banning Metal Baseball Bats May Help Prevent Catastrophic Head Injuries in Youth Sports
Statement by Antonio Romanucci on June 8, 2010.
I am a staunch supporter of a small but growing group of people who want to ban metal baseball bats in youth sports. I have been on the forefront of this issue for three years, since a friend of mine called my attention to the problem. Christina Russo’s son, who was 14 at the time, was seriously injured when a line-drive off a metal bat struck him directly in the face. He has since needed two plastic surgeries to repair the damage, but he and his family are doing fine, considering all the physical and emotional trauma they have faced.
I told Christina I would do what I could to help and approached State Rep. Bob Molaro, who introduced a bill in the state legislature that would have banned the use of these bats by youth leagues. Unfortunately, the bill never got out of committee. Last year, Alderman Bob Fioretti was extremely supportive of our efforts to have the Chicago City Council ban metal bats in youth leagues, but the metal bat “cartel” brought in their big guns, and sadly, we struck out.
Currently, only New York City and the state of North Dakota have succeeded in passing legislation to ban metal bats in youth leagues. The latest state to step up to the plate is California. In May, a bill was introduced in the state legislature to ban metal bats as a result of a Marin County teenager who suffered a serious head injury when he was hit in the head by a ball hit off a metal bat. The boy’s team actually switched to wood bats to honor the injured player.
There are signs that the baseball industry is beginning to wake up. Beginning on January 1, 2011, the National Collegiate Athletic Association will enforce only BBCOR-approved bats. BBCOR ratings, which are considered a more direct measure of bat performance, ensure the metal bats “perform like wood bats” with no extra bounce or faster exit speeds.
But high school leagues and Little League have taken no such steps. Those leagues are still able to determine at the local level whether or not to use potent metal bats or safer wood bats.
We simply must make our “national pastime” safer for children. Local and state governing bodies have been reactionary in that they only pass or consider laws after a young player is hurt or killed. Elected public officials in Chicago and Illinois have a chance to be proactive rather than reactive, and prevent such tragedies from occurring in the first place.
