Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse of Central Texas

May 6, 2010

It is that time of year again when friends and family gather to cheer on their favorite teams at the old ballgame. Hot dogs, apple pie and baseball are traditions in America that have gone together for more than one hundred years.

But a recent rash of lawsuits could jeopardize this favorite pastime and make volunteers wonder if they really want to expose themselves and their families to liability. 

Less than a year ago, a New York Little League shelled out $125,000 to settle a lawsuit after a player was injured sliding into home base.  The player’s mother alleged her son wasn’t properly taught (by the all-volunteer coaches) how to slide.  The concern among little leaguers is that the settlement opens a Pandora’s Box that could lead to more lawsuits against leagues and even against volunteers.

It’s sad to me. I’ve spent 13 summers sitting on hard, wooden benches watching my son fidget in the dugout, swing and connect, swing and miss, run, slide, score, get thrown out and get dirty, dusty and exhausted winning and losing games with their friends and coaches.  I loved it. And so did they.  My son is now an umpire and I worry that he is exposing himself, and his family, to too much risk. Our sue-happy society has definitely gone too far.

As a mom, I wouldn’t have dreamed of filing a lawsuit like the woman from West Virginia who sued her local Little League when her daughter broke her leg sliding into second base.  We hate to see kids get it hurt but unfortunately, injuries are often a part of playing sports. You fix the leg.  You don’t sue the second base coach.

But people file forehead-slapping lawsuits all the time. It leaves the rest of us wondering, “What are they thinking?”

Take for instance the Kansas City Royals fan who filed a lawsuit after he was hit by a flying frankfurter. Seems the Royals mascot likes to shoot dogs into the crowd.  Most people love free hotdogs but this fan claimed the airborne eats created an unsafe environment.

Really?  Surely, this is not a wise use of our court system.  And you can see the result a mile away, can’t you? No more franks, no t-shirt guns, no Frisbees allowed in any stadium…for fear of a lawsuit. Then we have the gentleman who clearly doesn’t understand the term “heads up” when you are at a baseball game. The game involves bats and flying balls…you have to pay attention.  This guy filed a lawsuit against a team after a player (who also used to play for the Round Rock Express) hit a home run during batting practice and the ball went into the stands, hitting the now-plaintiff.  What’s next? Will we all have to sign waivers before we enter a baseball stadium?  It’s just silly.

Most of the fans that come out to watch games do so because they love baseball.  And our sons and daughters join Little League for the same reason.   But it seems there is always someone who pounce at any opportunity to hit the jackpot in the lawsuit lottery…and the rest of us will pay the price.

Let’s hope this year that crazy lawsuits pitched by personal injury lawyers are thrown out before they forever alter America’s favorite pastime.