Making great catches in baseball and softball often includes taking one for the team. Being a hero, however, doesn’t have to be so painful when a player slams up against the back wall or fence. Concussions occur when someone suffers from head trauma due to a collision with the wall. 

Sports Graphics offers protective outdoor wall padding for all types of sports and athletic facilities. If you are concerned about the safety of your players, contact us today and find out more about our products. 

The Need for Wall Padding is Growing

Roughly 10 million athletes participate in baseball and softball as casual participants, according to the MLB. As these sports continue to become more popular with young athletes, the need for protective equipment becomes more vital. 

CBS named 2017, The Year of Concussions in the MLB, citing the league's determination to reduce head trauma that occurs with catchers, outfielders, batters, and pitchers. Since that year, many places are looking to further protect baseball and softball players from injury. 

Concussions are not just a minor problem. They are becoming an epidemic that is affecting young children, teenagers, college players, and professional athletes. In other words, no one is immune. 

Baseball and Softball Receive Less Attention Than Other Sports

Although concussion reports are much higher in sports such as gymnastics, football, hockey, and soccer, they still occur frequently on baseball fields around the country. 

Numerous reports from Sporting News, CBS, ESPN, The Huffington Post, and The New York Times have all confirmed that concussions are growing in baseball and softball. In many cases, little league facilities are not protecting young players when they try to keep a ball from flying over the fence. Thus, they are running headlong into metal fences and brick walls. 

Baseball and Softball Field Wall Padding

In a sport that requires finesse, accuracy, and speed by outfielders, they often lose sight of the wall to catch a pop fly in the far reaches of the field. Just like walls that line major league fields, high school, middle school, and elementary schools need to provide a safe haven for athletes who go the extra mile to catch a ball in the outfield. 

The same padding used in wrestling, gymnastics, and football, can also minimize impact in baseball and softball.

Sports Graphics offers wall padding that is tough enough to withstand a collision, yet soft enough to absorb impact. Our durable walls are used in major league facilities, college facilities, and in primary and secondary schools across the country. 

When you install wall padding on your back wall or fence, you are letting the community know that player safety is your priority no matter what sports they play. 

Types Of Wall Padding To Install For Field Sports

Now that you understand more about the importance of putting your field with wall padding for softball and baseball, it’s important to look at the types of wall padding for field sports. Learn more about what kinds of wall padding to install and how to keep them maintained below.

Dugout Padding

While you may not think of it as necessary, it is important you install dugout padding to protect your athletes in case they were to collide with the surface. If that were to happen, they could be injured by the force of the collision with the dugout material, which could be anything from wood to metal piping. Even if there are small gaps in the padding you already have around your dugout and its rails, it can cause an injury if someone were to collide with that small area. 

Additionally, you should invest in new dugout padding every few years to ensure it does not weaken and pose a threat. Outdoor padding is designed to withstand the elements. However, as it is subjected to extreme weather at times, it is crucial you are constantly examining it and checking for damages. 

Fence Padding 

Another area that can cause bodily injury on baseball and softball fields is the fencing that surrounds the field of play. Catchers and corner infielders, first and third baseman, are constantly making plays on foul balls out of the field of play, which can cause them to collide with the fencing and backstop.

For that reason, you should have the necessary areas covered, so they can play hard without fear of injury from collisions with the fences. Additionally, after collisions with fences, you should check the area to ensure the padding is still secured to the surface. While our products are designed to withstand harsh collisions and remain secured, it is always good to double-check.  

Add Padding to Any Needed Surface

Depending on the design of your baseball and softball fields, there may be additional areas that pose a threat to your athletes. If that is the case, you need to invest in padding or other safety solutions to ensure your athletes are safe and can play as hard as possible. 

Wall Padding From Sports Graphics

If you are looking for an innovative solution for protecting your players on the baseball and softball field, contact Sports Graphics today. We offer a wide selection of wall pads that can be custom designed specifically for your walls. 

To find out more about our products, call us at 1-800-257-6405, or message us on our contact page.