Mask or No Mask

[Hawkeyes]

I agree that in 5-10 years this won't be a controversy anymore.
5 years ago I didn't know masks even existed.

I cant believe its a controversy now. IMO, its a no-brainer. My girls wear masks.
I look at it like a cup. felt strange at first, but given time it became part of you and didnt even know you had it on.

 

[djcarter1966]

I agree, but in some cases it can create a deficiency.

I simply don't get it...I watch a kid take a few dozen grounders (hard, soft, forehand, backhand, etc) from third base five minutes later I can tell you if the kid can field the position or not what difference does it make whether they are wearing a mask or not...they are either deficient in their ability to field the position or not (minus game situation smarts which no matter how much you practice you never really know their softball IQ until you watch them play real games).

 

[InsidePitch]

I guess goalie, football, and catcher masks create deficiencies

Bad analogies. The goalie's job is to stand there and BLOCK everything with what ever. The football play leads with his head and often is the first thing to get hit. The catcher has something thrown at them the entire time on defense that are often errant at the younger ages and that must be blocked. Then there is the chance of a foul tip that only by luck hits the glove.

I'd wager more teeth are lost in the swimming pool, falling off bikes or skateboards every summer.

 

[Sweet Lou]

I'd wager more teeth are lost in the swimming pool, falling off bikes or skateboards every summer.

Probably. Probably also a lot more serious injuries occur from those 3 activities than in softball too. But then I think there probably more kids each year participating in those activities as opposed to playing softball too.

 

[PA SB Dad]

Wow, 15 pages of comments! This one is approaching a record for length for a Mask thread. However, it is nowhere near as long as one of the Technical Hitting Threads.

 

[FP26]

Wow, 15 pages of comments! This one is approaching a record for length for a Mask thread. However, it is nowhere near as long as one of the Technical Hitting Threads.

Yeah, the good old days....

 

[PA SB Dad]

The whole "if a kid is a stud, it won't matter" argument is pretty tired. Of course the studs will be recruited no matter what.

The question is for the 95% of softball players who are looking for any advantage in the recruiting process. A kid with no mask is going to be looked at more favorably than one without by some (many?) coaches. Even if only 20% of coaches are anti-mask, it still reduces the pool of potential scholarships for the masked player by 20%.

I am neither pro or anti-mask. However, if you know a a college coach is anti-mask, and your player wears one, and you feel better having her wear one, why would you ever want your kid play for a coach that is anti-mask? You are asking for that person to change their stripes because you have a certain comfort level with a piece of equipment. If that coach said no mask or no play, do you actually want your kid to go there? Players have choices, as do parents, about where they play (yes, even in college, if you are good enough).

In terms of "reduction of the scholarship opportunities", either you are good enough or you are not. The number of players with scholarship opportunities is SMALL. Here are statistics from 2015:

Chances of a high school athlete competing in College Softball (Women)

Number of US High School Softball Players - 373,892
Number of US College Softball Players - 31,406
% of foreign students playing NCAA softball - 0.9%
% of US High School Players competing at any College Level - 8.3%
% of US High School Players competing at NCAA Div I School - 1.6%

The 1.6% represents the number of Div I softball PLAYERS, not the number of Div I scholarships. Not all Div I schools are fully funded with 12 full scholarships (and those are spread out over a roster of 20 to 24 players). At Div 2, there are only 7.2 scholarships, NAIA 10 scholarships, and NJCCA 24 scholarships.

So when people on DFP say "if she can play, the mask makes no difference", they know what they are talking about, because the chances of getting a scholarship to play college ball is VERY SMALL. The argument "the coach did not like my kid because she wears a mask" does not hold water, and is really just a rationalization that your kid is not good enough. The coach did not like your kid because there were BETTER players out there, with or without a mask.

 

[julray]

The question was not which was more effective. The question was which is more skilled and confident. Although it may make more sense to be in the protective confines of the truck with a rifle, you cannot argue that although ill advised the hunter in the open with the spear must have greater skill and confidence to be successful. FWIW - I personally prefer not to take a knife to a gunfight.

LOL, this has gone way off topic, but for the sake of argument...

Actually that is an assumption, we don't know if the guy sitting in the tree is less skilled... maybe he has a better grasp of evolution. Why would he risk his life in the open using inappropriate equipment when he has the tools and shelter to get the job done more efficiently?

 

[schwabach]

LOL, this has gone way off topic, but for the sake of argument...

Actually that is an assumption, we don't know if the guy sitting in the tree is less skilled... maybe he has a better grasp of evolution. Why would he risk his life in the open using inappropriate equipment when he has the tools and shelter to get the job done more efficiently?

I think you have to conclude that the hunter who can kill a lion or tiger with his bare hands has demonstrated greater skills than any of the other hunters and I would pick this hunter over those who hide behind spears or guns or face masks.

 

[Rocketech1]

Bad analogies. The goalie's job is to stand there and BLOCK everything with what ever. The football play leads with his head and often is the first thing to get hit. The catcher has something thrown at them the entire time on defense that are often errant at the younger ages and that must be blocked. Then there is the chance of a foul tip that only by luck hits the glove.

I'd wager more teeth are lost in the swimming pool, falling off bikes or skateboards every summer.

One of the points is that all of the sports listed above originally started out WITHOUT face guards but as the game progressed and the injuries mounted, there was a need to require the mask. No different than what we are seeing with infielders in fast pitch.

And just because more teeth are lost (not even sure this is true based on number of reps and people playing the sport) in swimming pools, falling off a bike or riding skateboards doesn't mean that therefore 3rd baseman for example shouldn't wear a fielding mask. In fact, some states require minors to wear helmets when riding a bike and skateboarding in public areas.

I have told this before but DD's old PC (D1 Pitcher) was playing 3rd on a men's slow pitch league and a hard hit ground ball took a bad hop to her jaw. Broke it and had to have her mouth wired partially shut for three weeks. Guess who wears a mask now when playing infield?