Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Yankees Lift Ban on Sunscreen at Stadium

Go ahead, Yankees fans. Slather on that SPF 45 -- sunscreen is now legal in Yankee Stadium.



The baseball team has lifted a ban on plastic containers of sunscreen
at their ballpark after deciding ``not to be as stringent,'' team
spokesman Jason Zillo said Tuesday.



Sports teams around the country started restricting what fans could bring into stadiums after the 2001 terrorist attacks.



The Yankees' Web site lists bans on backpacks, briefcases, coolers,
large purses, laptop computers and video cameras. Bottles and cans also
are on the forbidden list, but the sunscreen question is not
specifically addressed.



The New York Post reported Tuesday that Yankees fans were hot and bothered over the weekend because of a crackdown on sunscreen.



The newspaper said security guards confiscated garbage bags full of the
stuff at entrances to the stadium when the team played Saturday and
Sunday day games in 90-plus weather.



Zillo said the Yankees have banned sunscreen containers larger than 3
ounces for several years but the restriction was eased in the last few
days and sunscreen is now permitted.



``Our No. 1 priority is always going to be our fan safety,'' Zillo
said. ``That's why these policies were put in place in the first
place.''



Major League Baseball, which promotes skin-cancer prevention through
its ``Play Sun Smart'' program, leaves security measures up to teams.



New York's other team, the Mets, allows sunscreen.



Sean Rachau, a spokesman for the Arizona Diamondbacks in sun-baked Phoenix, said that team has never banned sunscreen.



Rachau noted that the Diamondbacks have a retractable roof that is closed during the hottest months.



``I imagine people would wear sunscreen when the roof is open,'' he said.



The Yankees' former policy banning sunscreen was similar to the
air-travel restrictions enforced by the federal Transportation Security
Administration.



Under TSA rules, all liquids, gels and aerosols must be in 3-ounce or smaller containers.



The Yankees and Mets are both in their final seasons in their current
homes. Both are building new ballparks next door to their existing
stadiums.

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