STOP the shaming...

Agree with ya on the premise that it is tiresome to hear folks unsolicited opinions especially if they are not knowledgeable. I have had plenty of that as well.

With that said, there is a reason why most kids are wearing them and so personally it is scary watching a game and hoping you don’t witness an avoidable tragedy. Age makes a difference here as well assuming the older kids have a handle on the risks.

On a similar note, I also cringe when I see kids intentionally blocking the bag setting up for the tag on a steal attempt. You just know someone is going to get a leg twisted up or worse.


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eagle6 said:

I believe it is the parents' decision. Kid has absolutely no say so in it. If a kid gets hit in the face without a mask, that is on the parents. Hope my daughter never gets hit, but if she does, the mask gives her a fighting chance to not have long term damage. Would never shame a kid for not wearing a mask. Again, that is up to the parent. Had a dad ask me, "if it was your son, would you make him wear a mask?" Good question. If he is only 35' from the batter at the time of contact like my daughter is when she is pitching, playing 3rd, or playing 1st, then i would really think about it.

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I agree with this 100%..... My risk tolerance is much lower than my 14 yo daughter.... Until she moves out from underneath my care it is not up for decision.


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This is an interesting topic for me as my DD is coming from baseball. On one hand, "requiring" masks pisses me off. Why? Boys aren't required at all. So girls must be more fragile right? I'm not a 2nd or 3rd wave feminist in any way, but that mentality still bothers the living hell out of me. My DD HATES a mask on her helmet. I mean HATES it! Sure, hits to the face happen when batting, but they're very rare and she's happy to take that risk. In all my years of my DD playing baseball, I never once saw a ball come off the bat and go into the face. She did take a baseball to the eye once from a pitcher, but she was at the next at bat ready to go, black eye and all. Yet, she's very interested in wearing a mask when playing first. She knows there are going to be an occasional ball streaking at 70mph right for her face. At 30-40 feet away, that's not enough time to react. Still, requiring any girl to do so just bugs the ever loving hell out of me, especially at 14u and above.

On a funny, somewhat similar note, I was watching a slow pitch game yesterday. The full grown men pitching were wearing catcher's masks. It actually made me happy to see the men getting over their machismo. I NEVER wanted to pitch when I played slow pitch. Scared me enough playing 3rd. Some of those guys are hitting balls with exit speeds over 100mph.

riseball said:

I have found that many parents talk endlessly about this subject because it is the only thing that defines their DD as a softball player. Mask or no mask if their DD can hit, field, or pitch the conversation typically takes a different direction.

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I’ll always engage in these conversations because I worked in the ER for over 10 years and I’ve seen more than my fair share of teeth knocked out, facial, nasal, and orbital fractures, as well as nasty lacerations from little kids up through college age and beyond that could have been prevented by wearing a facemask. To me the issue extends far beyond what my dd is capable of doing on the field. As a health care provider it is part of my job to educate my patients on potential safety issues and what can be done as prevention. As a parent what you take and utilize from that information is up to you.

That all being said, it is a personal choice and I won’t say out loud what I’m thinking about the fielder not wearing the mask, but yeah, in my mind I’m hoping that I don’t have to run onto the field and respond to the player that just took a ball to the face and now has a blown out globe.

BT3100 said:

Exactly!!

3-4 years ago it was the casual why doesn't so and so wear a mask. And year after it's getting more aggressive. Last fall the HP umpire asked a kid our team if her parents were crazy letting her pitch without a mask and asked her if she wanted to borrow one from the other team. Disgraceful.

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Umpires have had helped my DD, a lot of them have known her for 7 years.

Sounds inappropriate comment but might need to be taken in content, probly not though.

Stay out of our business Is a good general rule.

(I do not like sharing head gear, I always have a new in the box face mask in bag if anyone forgets or breaks theirs. Never have pulled it out and say wear this. )

I work in a high school and see parents let their kids do dangerous and stupid things all the time, this is no different, but it is their right. That changes when they are on MY team, pitchers will wear masks, if they don't like it they can find another team. I don't care what anyone says, a girl gets her face smashed, permanent damage, I would never forgive myself when I could have prevented it. I am talking about the younger ones, I think it is their choice at 16u and up. I know a pitcher that is playing college ball and is an excellent SS. She was pitching at 14u and took a ball to the face not wearing a mask. It broke her nose, orbital bone, and something in her cheek. She still has scars and a wonky eye. That won't happen to one of my young girls. My (11u) daughter will wear a mask when on the dirt (she pitches, and plays OF, 1 and 3rd) as long as she is on my insurance. Another problem I have is that if my kid smashes a ball into a pitchers face she will be scarred for life because she is a sweet kid, she would cry like a baby. I am sure as she matures and sees injuries she will grow thicker skin about it. All that said, I would not shame a girl on another team for doing what her and her parents think is best for their daughter.

justanotherguy said:

This is an interesting topic for me as my DD is coming from baseball. On one hand, "requiring" masks pisses me off. Why? Boys aren't required at all. So girls must be more fragile right? I'm not a 2nd or 3rd wave feminist in any way, but that mentality still bothers the living hell out of me. My DD HATES a mask on her helmet. I mean HATES it! Sure, hits to the face happen when batting, but they're very rare and she's happy to take that risk. In all my years of my DD playing baseball, I never once saw a ball come off the bat and go into the face. She did take a baseball to the eye once from a pitcher, but she was at the next at bat ready to go, black eye and all. Yet, she's very interested in wearing a mask when playing first. She knows there are going to be an occasional ball streaking at 70mph right for her face. At 30-40 feet away, that's not enough time to react. Still, requiring any girl to do so just bugs the ever loving hell out of me, especially at 14u and above.

On a funny, somewhat similar note, I was watching a slow pitch game yesterday. The full grown men pitching were wearing catcher's masks. It actually made me happy to see the men getting over their machismo. I NEVER wanted to pitch when I played slow pitch. Scared me enough playing 3rd. Some of those guys are hitting balls with exit speeds over 100mph.

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My older one played baseball too. She mostly played outfield and a little 2B. We never had her in a mask. If my younger one wanted to leave hers in the dugout when she plays the outfield, I wouldn't have a problem with that. Even at 2B I probably wouldn't care. Pitcher and 3B are the main ones that I think it's really important. Those are the 2 positions where you see them really coming hot off the bat right at the players. But in baseball the distances are farther, so they get a bit more reaction time too. I can't remember in all the time she played, seeing a pitcher or a 3B take a hit from a batted ball. I've seen it many times in fastpitch and we're only 1st year 12U. Fortunately the times it's involved a face, there's been a mask.

We played against a team where none of the girls wore masks, in 2nd year 10U. We were a pretty solid B level team, and we beat this team soundly. One of our parents was talking to their coach and he told them that none of his girls wear masks because it makes them look scared of the ball. We had some pretty big hitters. It was scary to watch. And those girls weren't great fielders, or super fast. Just sort of an average low B, maybe C team. So their coach was risking their safety for appearances. I thought that was pretty irresponsible. I don't know if he had a rule, or just convinced all the parents to go his way but that was the only team I've seen in our age group that's had a whole team without masks, from 8U through now. At my DD's age most of the kids have been wearing them from the start, at least around here.

Elk Grove Hurricane said:

This. The Rec League insurance carrier is probably pushing this (I was in the business and on a board before, and the trend is towards masks.) But I'm the last one to judge anyone else for their honest, good faith belief one way or the other.

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If this were an issue for league insurance and the risk of getting hit in the face warranted you can bet the providers would jack up rates to reflect that To my knowledge league insurance is for liability and medical issues are covered by the families. I could be dead wrong, but that’s my understanding.

Keep in mind that baseball, at the younger ages, is played on the same, or very close to the same, size as the softball field. Balls are typically batted at a higher speed and the compression of the ball is lower, so it's a harder ball. I'm not trying to argue that point either. My only observation is that somehow boys are considered less fragile than girls, as in a double standard. I'd personally be fine with masks being required of boys, IF you require it of girls too. I honestly just hate the REQUIREMENT factor, from the batting helmet perspective.

I think I stepped onto a soapbox of a slightly different, but similar topic. I just hate double standards like this. Every time my DD puts on her "softball batting helmet", she curses a little. LOL

MNDad said:

If this were an issue for league insurance and the risk of getting hit in the face warranted you can bet the providers would jack up rates to reflect that To my knowledge league insurance is for liability and medical issues are covered by the families. I could be dead wrong, but that’s my understanding.

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Seems like DD gets hurt every year, always been on us.

Side note: How can catcher try to pick DD off 1st and her have colors on her foot that I did not even know existed and doctor calling us idiots?