Plays In Peoria
The phrase ‘if it plays in Peoria,’ once measured what ideas would resonate with the American public. For Foul Ball Safety Now, what played out in Peoria measured the ideas that will change America for the better.
In Peoria, Illinois, Foul Ball Safety Now founder Jordan Skopp proved to himself and the world that grassroots action can make a big impact. Through his funded lawsuit, bold airplane flyovers, media outreach, and other theatrical expressions, he brought national attention to one of the worst offending cities in professional baseball’s fan safety crisis. Because of his efforts, meaningful dialogue and reform began, and if change like that can occur in Peoria, it can happen anywhere else too.
The improvements that are emerging in cities across the country aren't solutions, but they are progress. Thanks to the groundwork laid out in Peoria, Foul Ball Safety Now has shown that steps toward safety, transparency, and accountability are far better than silence or denial.
Dozer Park in Peoria, IL was among the worst ballparks in professional baseball when it came to fan safety. Dozer Park only had netting behind home plate, leaving fans in danger of being hit by high-speed foul balls entering the seats above the dugouts and down the foul lines.
Articles in the Media
FBSN is getting its due from the Peoria Journal-Star for our long-time campaign for more netting at Dozer Park.
Background: Ever since discovering that Dozer Park was the only team in the PDL hosting games with no netting above the dugouts, Foul Ball Safety Now worked tirelessly to call attention to the risks to fan safety in Peoria. We hired planes to fly banners over the ballpark warning of the lack of netting, wrote letters to the Illinois governor, the MLB parent club St. Louis Cardinals, and Bradley University (which shares Dozer Park), and repeatedly contacted media state-wide in efforts to compel action.
Let this be a learning opportunity and an inspiration for other teams and ballparks in Illinois and everywhere to follow suit and extend netting as urgently as possible. Fans deserve nothing less.
