Question about the attraction to foul balls in baseball

Some of you might think this is a dumb question but here goes.

Several news sites have had articles about fans trying to catch foul balls. Lately, one died and one almost died. One gave a ball to kid and she threw it back on field and another some man pushed a kid out of the way to catch a ball.

Way back when, a Massachusetts computer vendor was trying to sell the company I worked for several computers. We toured their office and show area and they took us to my first big ball park, Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. We just happened to be in Boston for a vendor user conference. Another time when in Chicago, Illinois for another meeting, they took us to Wrigley Field, the Playboy club down town, which I found strange, and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab). I'll admit Fermilab was the most interesting. They were using PDP-8s and PDP-10s to do amazing things.

So, I've been to a couple of big ball parks and saw a few games and I've looked on internet for some answers but the big question is what is the attraction to foul balls? I mean a baseball costs what $3.00. What's so important about a baseball that's worth the risk of injury to yourself and others or even death? Is it because the people were drinking and of diminished capacity? I've seen where a championship ball, if it was signed and authenticated, might be worth something but from a regular ball game it doesn't make sense.

to some people its like a home run ball id suppose
i think they just want to be involved in the moment, as a human urge. we all have them on occasion

I don't understand the attraction to sports in general, especially baseball. Guy throws the ball, guy hits the ball, guy scores a point, and the crowd goes wild.

I don't get it.

reply to post by Bramble Iceshimmer


It's just part of the experience in attending baseball games. As a father, I can relate to trying to catch a ball for my son or daughter. It a memorable experience for the kids. As far as an adult catching a ball in front of a kid, the grown-up thing to do is give it to the kid.

Some people will use that same ball to get a signature of the player that hit it, or they may have it signed by other players. The ball than has some value depending on the popularity of the players who signed it.

The railings at ball parks are below the belt so they don't obstruct the view of those attending the game. Anyone who's had too many beers are taking a chance on losing their balance and falling over the railing. It's happened more times than just these two recent cases.

The potential of big bucks for selling "foul balls". Of course, the IRS may see that as taxable.