if these limits may, at any time, be passed by those intended to be restrained?"
-- Chief Justice John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison, 1803
Burning for Safety
by Hal_10000
Jesus, how stupid can you get?
Ladies and gentlemen, The Bronx is sunburning.
Yankee fans are seeing - and turning - red over a ban on sunscreen, which Stadium security guards say was widely expanded in the last few weeks.
Security guards collected garbage bags full of sunblock at the entrances to Yankee Stadium over the sweltering weekend, when temps hit 96 degrees and the UV index reached a skin-scorching 9 out of 10 - a move team officials said was to protect the Stadium from terrorism.
But fans baking in the bleachers and upper deck argued that the sun may be a bigger threat than Osama bin Laden.
“I was really pissed because, since I am Irish and I have a bald head, I need my sunblock,” said Sean Gavin, 40, who had to toss his SPF 30 at the gate Saturday.
“After they saw me dousing myself with it, it should have been obvious to them that it was sunblock and not some explosive.”
The team contends that sunscreen has long been on the list of stadium contraband, but there is no mention of it on the Yankee Web site.
Four weeks ago, Stadium officials decided that sunscreen of all sizes and varieties would not be permitted, a security supervisor told The Post before last night’s game.
“There have been a lot of complaints,” he said. “We tell them to apply once and then throw it out.”
For fans who bring babies or young children to cheer on the home team, the guard had suggested they “beg” to take the sunblock in.
Wait for it.
The Stadium does sell 1-ounce bottles of Arizona Sun SPF 15 for $5 - a huge markup that makes its beer seem cheap.
Ah-hah! You have to wonder if that’s the real motivation. If so, it’s coming at a cost.
Dermatologists said that, security concerns or not, leaving 56,000 fans unprotected from potential skin cancer is “very dangerous.”
“This is especially bad for children, as their younger skin is particularly sensitive,” said Dr. Babar Rao, a specialist at the Skin and Cancer Center of New York. “Sunblock needs to be reapplied every two hours, even if you are not swimming in the ocean or pool.”
Major League Baseball even has a skin-cancer prevention program called “Play Sun Smart.”
An hour after being asked about the sunscreen ban, Yankee spokesman Jason Zillo told The Post that the rules would be changed to permit 3-ounce containers.
I am running out of adjectives for this sort of nonsense. Is there any gain in security from this hysteria—any at all? Ignore for the moment the fantasy world in which our terror of liquid explosives lives. It’s fucking Yankee Stadium. You could drive up a truck filled with explosives. You could fire an RPG from a nearby building. You could fly over and drop a grenade out. You could eat one of the hot dogs. There are so many ways to attack a gigantic building that you can’t possibly justify giving babies skin cancer to appease some neurotic little worry.
Boy, now I really hope the Yankees crash and um, burn, this year.
(H/T: Rob Neyer)
Comments
wear a hat…
What about his arms, legs, face, and neck? I guess you think he should wear a body suit on a hot day? That sounds like a perfect answer, if you don’t mind dehydration and heat stroke.
Who takes babies to a baseball game?
The same people who take babies to movie theaters.
Hey.. just another reason to completely avoid wasting so much time and money to sit in an uncomfortable chair watching (mostly) spoiled, overpaid people get paid to play a game.
Not that I’ve ever even gone to a game since they built the new park here… nor do I know if we have these dumbass rules here either.
What about his arms, legs, face, and neck?
Hey, he was the one complaining about his bald head…
Great post.
“I was really pissed because, since I am Irish and I have a bald head, I need my sunblock,” said Sean Gavin, 40, who had to toss his SPF 30 at the gate Saturday.
This made me laugh out loud. I used to know a guy named Sean Gavin from New York, not the same age. The more I thought about it, can you name a more Irish New Yorker sounding name than Sean Gavin? Fight the good fight, Mr. Gavin. This is the most absurd rule I’ve ever heard of. Obviously motivated by their own sunscreen sales.
I guess you think he should wear a body suit on a hot day? That sounds like a perfect answer, if you don’t mind dehydration and heat stroke.
No, I don’t think that. However, I do know that wearing a hat and drinking plenty of water will prevent dehydration and heat stroke. I live in the Houston area, and when I work in the yard this time of year I wear a hat and long sleeves to protect my arms from sunburn and scratching from the shrubs. I have yet to have a heat stroke.
I think the rule of no sunscreen is silly, but I also think a guy worrying about his bald head burning in the sun should have sense enough to cover it with a hat.
how about putting sunscreen on BEFORE you get to the park?
I think the rule of no sunscreen is silly, but I also think a guy worrying about his bald head burning in the sun should have sense enough to cover it with a hat.
See, he may not have brought a hat because he had the whole sunburn angle covered with the sunscreen. I guess he could buy an overpriced hat to cover his head, but he shouldn’t have to.
As for the baby, well, I think it’s crazy to take a baby anywhere that is supposed to be fun regardless of the sun or sunscreen.
If it’s hot enough for dehydration, as Jabba suggests, a small child has no business being there, regardless of suncreen.
See, he may not have brought a hat because he had the whole sunburn angle covered with the sunscreen
He still should be protecting himself with a hat.
However, I do know that wearing a hat and drinking plenty of water will prevent dehydration and heat stroke. I live in the Houston area, and when I work in the yard this time of year I wear a hat and long sleeves to protect my arms from sunburn and scratching from the shrubs. I have yet to have a heat stroke.
I’m just a few hours from you and I can sympathize. especially when you’re going after that most powerful force on Earth—Texas weeds. I’m out there most weekends with Roundup, a machete and three stick of dynamite.
I’m just a few hours from you and I can sympathize. especially when you’re going after that most powerful force on Earth—Texas weeds. I’m out there most weekends with Roundup, a machete and three stick of dynamite.
That’s about what it takes with most of them, for sure! :)
Where are you, Hal? Did you get any rain from Dolly? We’ve only had two little showers so far. We were sure hoping for more.
How about the fans just say “fuck you!” to the Yankees? This is absolute nonsense. The country has lost its fucking mind.
He still should be protecting himself with a hat.
That’s not really the point. Putting people at risk of skin cancer because you want to make a few bucks on marked-up sunscreen is really obnoxious behaviour.
He still should be protecting himself with a hat.
That’s not really the point. Putting people at risk of skin cancer because you want to make a few bucks on marked-up sunscreen is really obnoxious behaviour.
Sure it is. But, you can put sunscreen on before you get there. If you need more, buy it. Or stay home. You have a choice.
If you can pay for the tickets, the beer, the hot dogs, you can pay for the sunscreen.
How about the fans just say “fuck you!” to the Yankees?
Yep. You can absolutely do that. And if enough do, they’ll change the rule, or at least lower the price of the sunscreen.
Putting people at risk of skin cancer because you want to make a few bucks on marked-up sunscreen is really obnoxious behaviour.
What about putting yourself at risk because you just have to go see that game?
That’s why we invented sunscreen - so we can go out and do fun things without getting all crispy. I agree that there’s the choice of not going, but that’s not really the point. This company has made a bone-headed decision, and consumers should pressure them into reversing it.
As an aside, covering it with the fig-leaf of “security” is pretty despicable as well.
I guess I see this a bit differently because I grew up in New Zealand, which is under the ozone hole and thus exposed to quite a lot of UV. It’s possible there to get sunburnt to the point of being covered in blisters in less than an hour, on a cool cloudy day. Not coincidentally, New Zealand and Australia have astonishingly high rates of melanoma, so sun exposure is seen as a big public health issue.
Yea, Orpheus, my mother has had melanoma twice and my doctor has warned me about the sun. I have gotten a sunburn like you describe after taking St. John’s Wort and gardening. My hands would actually get cold and tingle with pins and needles if I hit a hard object like metal.
I go through life pretty pasty white because I try to avoid getting too much sun. Unfortunately, I also have seasonal affective disorder so I do need sun exposure. Sunscreen is very helpful and I always wear it on my face.
Where are you, Hal?
Between Austin and San Antonio. No Dolly up here. We could use the rain.
Who takes babies to a baseball game?
Me. Granted the roof was closed that day.
Aw. Beautiful kid, Santino
Next entry: Big Box Boon
Previous entry: Serve or Die
Who takes babies to a baseball game?
wear a hat…