Baseball Player Safety Memo Regarding Reflective Surfaces on Cleats

The SFIA continues to work diligently with The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) to notify the industry first-hand of important rule and standard changes that affect manufacturers, retailers and organizations in team sports. The SFIA and NFHS are committed to pursuing the safest playing environment for athletes with regard to sports equipment used during play.

In discussions with Elliot Hopkins, Baseball Rules Editor for the NFHS, it was brought to our attention that certain brands of baseball shoes worn by the pitcher that have a mirror-like finish on the sole plate have distracted batters with the light reflecting off the bottom of the shoe.

From those discussions, the following advice was sent to the state associations from the NFHS office:

“As we begin playing baseball, we would like to remind you that any uniform or player’s equipment that is reflective or has a mirror-like surface can be possibly distracting to both the batter and defensive players alike. We have several rules in place to address these areas.We want to caution your schools that if that situation occurs, the umpire-in-chief would ask the pitcher to either replace the shoes or the coach would have to replace the pitcher. You certainly can understand the importance of protecting the vision of the batter while at the plate. Risk minimization is our utmost concern for our players, coaches and fans. Addressing this situation early in the season will assist us in that effort. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me (Elliot Hopkins) at the NFHS office.”

SFIA has a long history of working with the NFHS on equipment and rules-related issues to provide the highest quality equipment and the safest environment possible for high school athletes.