Letter to Queens College and PS 499 May 6, 2025

Subject: World Series summit on foul ball safety

Dear Queens College, PS 499, parent teacher representatives and Knights baseball team,

Now that the college baseball season is over, I believe it is the right time to convene an urgent meeting to review and respond to ongoing threats to fan safety around Hennekens Stadium, where protections against dangerous batted balls are insufficient.

How do I know?

I was alerted recently about this threat by one of your student athletes who was feeling anxiety and expressed this to me, and he also said it was the sentiment of his teammates. I was reminded of that exchange recently when I was contacted by a law firm representing a woman who is suffering from a lifealtering brain injury after getting hit by a foul ball standing outside a professional baseball facility in California.

The Knights players have concerns regarding the safety of children and adults in harm’s way from balls leaving the field, whether into the stands or over the fence. These players say they’re wondering among themselves who might be the unlucky batter who seriously injures or kills an unsuspecting pedestrian on the sidewalk on Reeves Ave or a child in the adjoining schoolyards of PS 499.

College players can hit the ball plenty hard and far enough to threaten innocent bystanders, let alone fans who are actively watching the game.

Balls flying at heads anywhere pose an unacceptable risk. To be clear, you are just one of many facilities who appear to have unsafe conditions. The question I pose is straightforward: do you have the courage to start a dialog to face this problem head on?

What I’ve heard from your student athletes recently has inspired me to respond, and that’s the spirit in which I reach out to you now. I’m a sounding board – offering a voice for the anonymous players, and my own expertise leading an ongoing advocacy campaign called Foul Ball Safety Now, which I founded in 2019. We’ve collected more than enough testimonials from both victims and players to confirm this problem remains a very important matter to address in 2025.

This compels a conversation, a productive dialog and systemic review that leads to a solid action plan to prevent fan injuries.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thank you,

Jordan Skopp

Founder, FoulBallSafetyNow.com

718-627-6767

P.S. Queens College Knights baseball team players are receiving this letter directly via social media messaging.

cc: The Knight News