5 ms·

Let's say that a township little league wants to put its foot down and take the stance that there's no way they'll ban sliding into bases, as that's not basebal

by thedob 18y ago

Let's say that a township little league wants to put its foot down and take the stance that there's no way they'll ban sliding into bases, as that's not baseball, and as a result it just isn't American. The insurance company says that for the little league to get insurance it's going to cost twice as much if they allow sliding. Hence the little league has no choice but the pass on the cost of participation to the parents of the kids in the league. Or...the kids won't ever know what it's like to slide into a base. What an unfortunate situation. The rising costs of insurance are preventing children from getting enough exercise, and hence leading to health problems in the future costing the insurance companies more money in health related payouts. If this is the case, then they should be able to offset any short term liability payouts by the long term gains of a healthier society.

Alex3917 18y ago
One of my friends was in a full body cast for about four months because when he was in sixth grade someone slid into him while playing baseball and broke one of his legs and his pelvis. My little brother also broke his leg when someone slid into him. Neither has any persisting problems, but a lot of kids do. I have a friend whose legs are different lengths because she stepped in a hole while playing soccer and fractured her growth plates. Don't get me wrong, I agree with the article, but also realize that their argument is a straw man. Of course playground equipment that has the potential to give one a scrape or a bruise is good, assuming your kid is one of the ones who gets a scrape or a bruise. If your kid is one of the ones who dies or develops some lifelong problem then it's a different story.
- noonespecial 18y ago
  Perhaps a lifelong problem like heart disease, diabetes, or stroke? Seriously. How far do we take it? I knew a kid once who broke his little finger playing "Speed Uno". Is that too dangerous? Maybe the kids should all walk while playing soccer. There is a point somewhere, before the absurdity of tort law forces us all into padded rooms, where it doesn't matter anyway. Our bodies are safe but we've all ceased to live.
  - drewcrawford 18y ago
    How far do "we" take it? Who are "we" to parent other people's kids? Ultimately it's up to the parents of the individual kids to decide how far _they_ take it with their individual kids. Parents have different parenting philosophies. And that's good--experimentation and variety is what leads to learning and understanding what works.
    - LogicHoleFlaw 18y ago
      Ultimately it's up to the parents of the individual kids to decide how far _they_ take it with their individual kids. Unfortunately a lot of busybodies disagree with you.
    - Alex3917 18y ago
      "it's up to the parents of the individual kids to decide how far _they_ take it with their individual kids." How would you handle situations like sliding in baseball, where the kid who bears the greatest risk of injury isn't the one who slides into the base but rather the one whose getting slid into?
Hexstream 18y ago
"The rising costs of insurance are preventing children from getting enough exercise, and hence leading to health problems in the future costing the insurance companies more money in health related payouts. If this is the case, then they should be able to offset any short term liability payouts by the long term gains of a healthier society." I think the insurance companies will simply adjust their prices upward to compensate.
anamax 18y ago
If you want an insurance company to charge less to insure an activity, make that activity cheaper. If you think that insurance companies are overstating risk, put your money up and price that risk "correctly". If you're correct, you'll get rich and they'll either adopt your methods or go out of biz.
- dfranke 18y ago
  We're talking about liability insurance, not health insurance. The root problem here is tort law, not accident statistics.
  - anamax 18y ago
    > We're talking about liability insurance, not health insurance. The root problem here is tort law, not accident statistics. Which is why I wrote >> If you want an insurance company to charge less to insure an activity, make that activity cheaper. Tort law is part of the cost of an activity.
menloparkbum 18y ago
This isn't true at all - little leagues don't buy insurance, they have the parents sign a piece of paper that says that the league isn't liable for any injuries. The banning of base sliding is the result of aggressive safety obsessed parents, like the one in the article who complained about hot rubber playground mats.
dhimes 18y ago
In fact, the rule is in the older leagues (11 yo and up) that you must slide in order to avoid a collision. If a kid doesn't slide into a base and a play is attempted there, he or she is out by rule. The no-slide issue is really a developmental issue. At very young ages, (levels, really), there is no sliding. But as the kids advance, they are able to slide (by 11 or 12 years old). The point is, they have to be taught (1) how to slide safely, and (2) how to cover a bag safely in a slide.

by thedob 18y ago

Alex3917 18y ago

One of my friends was in a full body cast for about four months because when he was in sixth grade someone slid into him while playing baseball and broke one of his legs and his pelvis. My little brother also broke his leg when someone slid into him. Neither has any persisting problems, but a lot of kids do. I have a friend whose legs are different lengths because she stepped in a hole while playing soccer and fractured her growth plates. Don't get me wrong, I agree with the article, but also realize that their argument is a straw man. Of course playground equipment that has the potential to give one a scrape or a bruise is good, assuming your kid is one of the ones who gets a scrape or a bruise. If your kid is one of the ones who dies or develops some lifelong problem then it's a different story.

noonespecial 18y ago
Perhaps a lifelong problem like heart disease, diabetes, or stroke? Seriously. How far do we take it? I knew a kid once who broke his little finger playing "Speed Uno". Is that too dangerous? Maybe the kids should all walk while playing soccer. There is a point somewhere, before the absurdity of tort law forces us all into padded rooms, where it doesn't matter anyway. Our bodies are safe but we've all ceased to live.
- drewcrawford 18y ago
  How far do "we" take it? Who are "we" to parent other people's kids? Ultimately it's up to the parents of the individual kids to decide how far _they_ take it with their individual kids. Parents have different parenting philosophies. And that's good--experimentation and variety is what leads to learning and understanding what works.
  - LogicHoleFlaw 18y ago
    Ultimately it's up to the parents of the individual kids to decide how far _they_ take it with their individual kids. Unfortunately a lot of busybodies disagree with you.
  - Alex3917 18y ago
    "it's up to the parents of the individual kids to decide how far _they_ take it with their individual kids." How would you handle situations like sliding in baseball, where the kid who bears the greatest risk of injury isn't the one who slides into the base but rather the one whose getting slid into?

Hexstream 18y ago

"The rising costs of insurance are preventing children from getting enough exercise, and hence leading to health problems in the future costing the insurance companies more money in health related payouts. If this is the case, then they should be able to offset any short term liability payouts by the long term gains of a healthier society." I think the insurance companies will simply adjust their prices upward to compensate.

anamax 18y ago

If you want an insurance company to charge less to insure an activity, make that activity cheaper. If you think that insurance companies are overstating risk, put your money up and price that risk "correctly". If you're correct, you'll get rich and they'll either adopt your methods or go out of biz.

dfranke 18y ago
We're talking about liability insurance, not health insurance. The root problem here is tort law, not accident statistics.
- anamax 18y ago
  > We're talking about liability insurance, not health insurance. The root problem here is tort law, not accident statistics. Which is why I wrote >> If you want an insurance company to charge less to insure an activity, make that activity cheaper. Tort law is part of the cost of an activity.

menloparkbum 18y ago

This isn't true at all - little leagues don't buy insurance, they have the parents sign a piece of paper that says that the league isn't liable for any injuries. The banning of base sliding is the result of aggressive safety obsessed parents, like the one in the article who complained about hot rubber playground mats.

dhimes 18y ago

In fact, the rule is in the older leagues (11 yo and up) that you must slide in order to avoid a collision. If a kid doesn't slide into a base and a play is attempted there, he or she is out by rule. The no-slide issue is really a developmental issue. At very young ages, (levels, really), there is no sliding. But as the kids advance, they are able to slide (by 11 or 12 years old). The point is, they have to be taught (1) how to slide safely, and (2) how to cover a bag safely in a slide.