It’s the most American scene in the world – Red-blooded college students, friends, and family in the stands of UNCW’s Brooks Field, spectators of the American pastime; baseball. A fly ball soars over the right field line into foul territory, and lands in the very first baseball glove of a grinning seven year old boy. The problem? “Foul ball!” shouts the loud speaker, and several moments later, “Ladies and Gentleman, don’t forget to return those foul balls at the end of today’s game!”
The UNCW Athletic Department currently asks patrons to return all stray balls to athletic personnel after each game, destroying nostalgic visions of father-son pairs jumping into the air to get to the fly ball first.
“It’s purely budgetary,” said Senior Associate Athletic Director Joe Browning. The baseballs played cost five dollars apiece, and approximately three dozen balls will be prepared for each home game, around $180.00 per game for the department. “Most people don’t know this, but the umpires have to prepare the balls before they can be played,” Browning said, “they are rubbed with a mud-like substance so that they can be broken in, and aren’t too stiff or slippery for the pitchers.” Between homeruns and unreturned foul balls, approximately two dozen of those prepared balls will be lost every game.
Thanks to the baseball-friendly climate of Wilmington, UNCW hosts around 30 home baseball games a season. Home teams are responsible for proving balls for the game, which means 720 lost UNCW balls a season, or roughly $3,600.00 — ouch. “The balls are a lot more expensive than people think. At first five dollars a ball may not sound like a lot, but it really does add up,” said Browning.
So how do they enforce the return policy? They don’t. Polite reminders blare over the loud speaker every other inning or so, but no, there isn’t a foul ball officer policing the stands, ripping foul balls from the hands of crying children.“We don’t tackle people if they’re walking off with a ball, we just encourage people to return them and we certainly appreciate it when they do. Every little bit helps,” said Browning.
Next time you’re at a UNCW baseball game, sit in the foul ball territory and try to catch a few! One a game at five dollars for thirty home games and you’ve made yourself 150 bucks!
