White Sox receive mixed reviews over Guaranteed Rate Field’s new protective netting

The White Sox debuted their extensive protective netting at Guaranteed Rate Field on Monday night to mixed reviews from fans.

The Sox are the first major-league team to have netting extend to both foul poles. They added more netting over a three-day period during the All-Star break. The Nationals also have extended the netting to the foul poles.

Several fans were in support, including Jason Sall, of New Lenox, who called it a “small price to pay” for fan safety.

“At first, I was shaky about it,” Sall, 18, said. “I was like, ‘What about the foul balls and everything?’ But it’s a lot better to have everyone safe than to have anything tragic happen to anybody else to get a ball at the game.”

But not everyone embraced the netting. Some worried it would hamper the fan experience.

Sheldon Williams, of South Holland, who sat in the second row down the right-field line with his 8-year-old daughter, said he didn’t “particularly care for it.”

“I understand it’s a safety thing, but down further [behind the plate] I understand,” Williams said. “But right here, this is where I wanted to sit, so I have a chance to catch a ball.”

Liz Donnellan, who had tickets down the left-field line with her two kids, called extending the netting an “aggressive move.”

“I understand someone got hurt by a baseball, but to a certain extent, you come to a sporting event knowing that something can happen, so extending the net all the way to the end really takes away from the fan experience,” said Donnellan, who also said the netting would hurt fan attendance. “My son’s really into baseball, and he was hoping to get a ball and maybe get one signed, but that’s not going to happen.”

Players will have to adjust to the new netting, as well.

As for ground rules, a Sox spokesperson said the nets will be treated like walls — a ball that bounces or is thrown into the netting remains in play.

Sox players supported the netting because it eased their worries of injuring a fan at the plate. Shortstop Tim Anderson saw both sides of the argument.

“I think it’s good safety for the fans,” Anderson said. “It will also limit us with autographs and seeing the fans. We’re going to see what happens.”