We know the discussions about masks in 2020 is a whole lot different than the discussions we have had on this site in the past. One of the first blogs I wrote when we started Fastpitch Prep was about whether a player wearing a defensive mask would negatively impact them in recruiting and it was a fun discussion.
This year the discussions about masks for personal protection in the real world is another topic all together. We aren’t talking about avoiding an injury on the softball field, but rather whether wearing a face mask might save a life.
Well, just when I thought I had reached mask overload I had another amazing experience at the softball field.
Our 12U Gold team played in a tournament a couple weeks ago where we played a very talented team with a very strong pitcher. Nothing unusual about that, of course, we are playing gold-level ball but what was unusual was the fact that this really good pitcher did not wear a defensive face mask.
Now a player choosing whether they want to wear a face mask or not is up to them and their family as far as I am concerned. It was very unusual to see a pitcher in this age group not wearing one since we still see outfielders wearing them but to each their own.
And this is where the fun begins! As we have discussed often, everyone has an opinion and we had a parent who was very upset about this pitcher not wearing a defensive mask.
Of course this opinion was shared with everyone who would listen to the position that this player and parents were acting negligently and putting her health and safety in danger. Eventually, after some huffing and puffing the “controversy” died down and the game finished. But not without a whole lot more drama than I ever expected from the day.
2020 is a crazy year. On that I think we can all agree. Can we please stop adding more layers of craziness to the softball world? Worry about yourself and your kids. You are welcome to have any opinion you want but remember it is just that and nothing more. Keep your opinion to yourself and we will all get along a whole lot better.
To mask or not to mask? That’s up to each player to decide!
