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The facemask dispute
October 3, 2008 9:02 AM
By Garland Cooper
A few years back ASA made a bold statement in their concern with safety for softball players. In order to better protect these young women they instituted chin straps for every helmet. It was only later that facemasks also became a requirement in some facets of the game.
Personally, in my twenty years of experience, I might have seen a helmet fly off a batter's head once. However, I can't count on all my fingers and toes the players that I have seen take a ball to the face on offense.
The facemask rule, unlike the chin strap requirement, actually does protect the athletes and makes a louder statement regarding safety in the increasingly popular, and increasingly dangerous, game.
Regardless of the good it does for the safety of the athletes, people still complain. I'm here to tell those people that the facemask on a batter's helmet is 100% necessary and it can save pain, money, and actually add to the confidence of an athlete.
These accidents happens all the time, bunting, hitting, slapping, and running the bases. Coaches and parents never cease to astound me with their nonchalant attitude towards the safety of their players and daughters. Facemasks can prevent broken bones, chipped or lost teeth, facial reconstruction surgery, and a lot of pain.
If it is not reason enough to provide safety for the players it might save some money down the road. It amazes me that many parents are willing to spend thousands of dollars to get their daughter's teeth fixed, but don't worry that those teeth will get knocked out in a game. I have seen players sent to the emergency room, have had friends in need of reconstructive surgery; all were accidents that could have been prevented with a facemask. That is how dangerous, and how costly (in more ways that one) not having a mask can be.
The common argument against wearing a facemask is that it impedes the sight of the batter. This is simply untrue; too many great hitters have worn and still wear facemasks for that to be a legitimate argument.
When a hitter first puts on a helmet with a facemask, it can be perceived as an annoyance. However, like anything else, it just takes some time to get used to. When an athlete gets a new glove or a new bat she has to use it and break it in before she is able to play well with it&same with a facemask.
It also is about finding the facemask that fits the helmet, allows the best coverage, while also making the athlete comfortable. There are countless brands of facemasks, all designed differently for different helmets and different tastes.
Facemasks can also increase the confidence of a batter. I have seen girls shy away from pitches, especially while bunting, to protect their face. It is the same concept as catching. Catchers aren't afraid to get hit behind the plate. Why would they be afraid? They have all that gear on; they can't get hurt! It is the same idea with a facemask. The girl in a facemask can put her nose right on that ball and never worry that it might jump up and hit her in the face.
The game is getting more dangerous as girls throw harder, and batters and base runners become more aggressive. Why not have some extra protection? The question to ask is: What harm could it do? None. It might even save an athlete from a costly operation, an ugly black eye, or give her some added confidence at the plate. On the other hand, maybe she never gets hit, but that one time she does, she will wish she was wearing a facemask.
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