I will go well with their hitting free zone.

I do have a child with severe peanut and tree nut allergies. It’s a daily concern. Every shopping trip takes twice as long because every label has to be read. Those typical childhood activities like birthday parties, sleep overs, a trip to the custard stand or attending a ball game must be carefully planned. There’s added stress for everyone involved. I applaud the Rascals for their peanut-free zone!

I don’t expect everyone to accommodate my family, but I definitely appreciate those who are aware and will try. Those places get my business. In fact, my food allergy kid also has asthma, so we avoid places without a real no-smoking zone too! I’m not an activist, I’m just a mom protecting my kid.

I think this is wonderful! On May 18, four year old son and I went to his first Cardinal game. We didn’t even think about the peanuts or anything like that, but he is allergic. Not seriously, deathly allergic like some kids, but allergic nonetheless. The dust was all over his back, and with the wind that day, it blew into his face. He was saying “Daddy, I can’t see anything!” and was starting to have trouble breathing.

I cleaned off his seat with a napkin and we immediately left our seats. We spent the 3rd through 6th innings in a family restroom while I basically bathed him, washing him down trying to get any peanut residue off of him and out of his eyes. When we got back, the peanut dust was back on the seat, so he spent the rest of the game on my lap, covering his face with his shirt when the wind blew.

Despite the peanut incident, he had a great time, and even felt well enough to run the bases after the game with the other kids. If he had been even more allergic like some other children, this could have been a MAJOR disaster, and one that was completely avoidable.

I applaud the Cardinals and the Rascals for taking steps to protect these children with this allergy, which is becoming more and more common. Now, my son and I have a place to go and enjoy the game together without worrying about any potential incidents…and my son can grow up knowing the joy of going to the ballpark without fear.

This is a great move. On my family’s last visit to Busch Stadium an young man behind our family kept dropping peanut shells onto the head of the son that is severely allergic to peanuts.

We were forced from our seats, or risk facing a life and death situation.

I spoke with the gentleman…clearly he didn’t understand his actions could have resulted in the death of my child as his actions continued. In fact, at one point he stood up, brushed peanuts crumbs off his shirt and of course they fell upon our seats.

As the father of two toddlers with peanut and tree nut allergies I think this is wonderful idea and I thank the Cardinals for doing this. It is my hope that there will be a dedicated peanut free zone for every game.

Keep the Crackerjack, Kurt. It has peanuts, too. (as do many such products: Crunch & Munch etc.)

While not objecting and not caring what the BB teams do, I think this effort to accommodate every known problem is overblown. Why can’t the parents get the kid into allergen-reduction therapy? After all, it is the kid who is going to have to manage this problem eventually, not the BB team. Why not give people with glasses special seating so they can see the game? Less than 20/20 eyesight? Special seating at the Muny. Even the ADA mandates only ‘reasonable’ accommodations– they don’t have to install an elevator to the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon to accommodate the hiking impaired, and that is more of a public place than a stadium.

Question: is there a special charge for the additional cleaning needed, and is that charge reflected in the ticket price? What sections are these special arrangements– in all price ranges or just the pricier seats?

Question: if, as I’ve seen on snacks, there is a label indicating that a product contains peanuts, or was produced in a facility containing nuts, who do people object to labeling GMO food?

Sorry, but everyone can claim to be part of some special interest group somehow. I’m allergic to dust and cats and cigarette smoke (esp. the latter two combined) yet cat owners and smokers claim I’m infringing on their rights if I request cat or smoke free (entirely free) zones. Bar owners scream that non-smokers shouldn’t be in bars. (Anti-alcohol people usually steer clear all by themselves, but shouldn’t there be a temperance section “for the fellowship”.)

Bottom line: if the kid is that allergic to peanuts, he/she should get some meds to deescalate the effects (like an Epi-pen can save the life of someone allergic to bee and wasp stings.)Baseball is not essential to life.

I personally think things have gone too far when Peanut M&Ms, and Stuckey’s Pecan Rolls are required to be labeled as containing nuts. (And I use the handicapped stall in public restrooms, too.)

Teresa - Why so hateful? No one is REQUIRING or DEMANDING that these food allergies be accommodated, it is just a nice thing that the baseball teams are doing as a courtesy and is very much appreciated.

You obviously know nothing about the seriousness of food allergies. Food allergies and allergies to pollen, cats, etc. are not the same (my son has both types). While allergen reduction shots work for some types of allergies it doesn’t (or is too risky) with food. As far as YOUR allergies, will a bit of cat dander KILL you? A whiff of cigarette smoke KILL you?

Thank you Cardinals!!!!! Five years ago I was rushed to the emergency room due to anaphylaxis. The doctor informed us that I was seconds from death as he pumped several drugs into my system. Since a lot of public places refuse to do away with the nuts and peanut butter, they no longer get my business. However, companies that respect life nad have done away with nuts, peanut buter and peanut oil, receive all of my business. Severe anaphylaxis is nothing to laugh about… it’s real! I’ve not been to a ballgame in five years and I can’t wait to go again. I’m still worried about the peanut dust because when you breathe it in, the reaction is immediate. I carry my emergency kit with me everywhere I go, which includes benadryl tabs, prednisone and 2 epi-pens. I also suffer from asthma. It’s not fun having this condition–no one asks for it…but it exists and it has killed thousands of people. Again, thank you Cardinals for allowing us a section at the stadium so we too can enjoy the games.

I think special zones of seating are a great idea, I think an alcahol
free section would be a good idea for families with small children and
people who choose not to drink.

Another knee jerk reaction. Way to pole vault over ant hills!!!!

The teams can create all the ___________free zones they choose. Peanut free, cat free, mango free, smoke free, perfume free, dust mite free, milk free, coffee free, chicken free, etc. They could just stop selling or permitting any of those products to be brought into the stadium, and the problem would be solved.

I’ll sit in a FREE BEER ZONE, if they want to accommodate me.

once again the soup -nazis, and the ‘irresponsible”(ie everyone is responsible except the individual “victim”) liberal big-brother dictatorship has struck again , taking away our freedoms. Just like on airlines, if you or yours has a problem, STAY AWAY from that area. so 50, 000 peolpe out of 300 million has a peanut problem, so the rrest of us has to suffer.this is only one more example of the many suffering for the few, any whining selfish ‘victim’ who wants to make to make society pay because they can’t have it their way. In marin County california, they nbanned perfume and dry cleaning in meeetings and offices because maybe 2 people had a problem, rather than saying tough luck! get a life.

A section like this isn’t such a bad idea and is a good PR move by both teams. If the stadiums go peanut free, then there is a problem. That is where you are forcing your agenda on everyone. The only reason peanuts are such an issue is because of the dust from cracking the shells. Now, this could get a bit absurd, if every allergy gets on board. I can see a peanut, perfume, sunflower, sunlight, alcohol, soda, trans fat, meat free section in the future.

Teresa - Nut allergies are more than an “annoyance” that make people with allergies like dust sneeze or rub their eyes. They are LIFE THREATENING and even the smallest amount can be incredibly dangerous to those who suffer. And, I gaurentee you that parents of these children have that epi-pen on them at all times, and are constantly praying that they dont have to suddenly jam it into the leg of their child whos throat is closing up to the point of no air being able to pass through. Show some sensitivity. And I really wonder how much of an “inconvience” it will be for you to choose one of the other 400 something sections that are available to everyone else. And, for that matter, how much of an “inconvience” it is for you to look at that label on packaging that contains nuts. You have no idea how lucky you are that you dont live with the fear that these families live with from day to day.

I think it is wonderful that public places are taking the initiative to accomodate these children and families.

Having the peanut-free zone is a nice gesture, especially since it’s voluntary…not like the anti-smoking Nazis who can’t let businesses decide to be smoking or non-smoking on their own.

But I have a bigger question. Why all of a sudden to we have all these peanut allergic kids? (Or fill-in-the-blank allergic folks?) Now I’m not saying if your child is likely to go into respiratory shock that this is anything to laugh about. But why all of a sudden does this seem to be an epidemic? Growing up I knew one…ONE!…asthmatic kid. And I was aware that some people have life-threatening reactions to bee stings. But that was about it. Where are all these modern allergies coming from?

PS - Speaking of bee stings. I suppose it’s only a matter of time before the local government makes me get rid of my extensive perennial garden so my neighbors don’t get stung by the bees it attracts….

No—I think a peanut free section is useless because: People with peanut allergies are affected by eating the peanut products, not by where they sit. If they don’t eat the peanuts or anything that is cooked in peanut oil, they’re not affected. For those very few who might be affected by shells and dust, this section won’t protect them from dust from other sections. It’s all a publicity gimmick. It is up to those with the allergies, (or their parent overseers) to provide the avoidance. Not the stadium.

First, let me say that I am truly sorry that there are people with any kind of allergy. I know that an allergy can be annoying, debilitating and even possibly deadly. But, secondly, let me say how ridiculous it is for all of society to have to kowtow to everyone with some sort of problem. How far are we supposed to go? Some people are allergic to perfumes of any sort, to smoke, to the ingredients in hot dogs and beer. What would happen if I had a hot dog and beer and was bumped by someone with an allergy to mustard or hops? I wouldn’t want to be sued for this accident. But wait, there is an answer! The ball park could stop selling all beer, hot dogs, peanuts and stop using perfumed urinal disinfectants! Or, perhaps some progressive insurance company could offer a rider to one of their policies that would cover such a liability. Hold on - a revelation: don’t allow anyone into the ballpark. Only show the games on TV (always on local channels as well as satellite and cable so as to be totally fair).

If peanut allergies are this severe and numerous, I caanot believe this has not been accommodated before now. Now for my wish:

I wish for the Cardinals to establish a beer free zone so I would not have some jerk spilling beer or throwing up on me because they served him til he could not stand up.

i agree that removing peanuts from everyone to accomodate a few is outrageous, but you guys have you realize that this is ONE section. just one section of the entire ballpark. now, how much would it suck if you accidentally bought a ticket in that section? well the odds are that won’t happen.

but a BEER FREE zone? you have to be kidding. the thing about allergies is that they aren’t totally confined to consumption (the same reason they don’t have peanuts on an airplane). the dust can spread, etc. but why can’t “small children and those who choose not to drink” be near someone who is consuming alcohol? do you really want to completely shut yourself off from others like that? why not have a section where i can curse? a section where i can smoke? how about a section for non-smoking cursers and a sectin for non-cursing smokers? why can’t they put the cubs cans in their own section?

do you see where this is going? the next thign you i’m going to buy a ticket in the sectino allowed for 25 year old guys who are cards fans, eat peanuts, don’t smoke, drink 4-5 beers a game, don’t have kids, and cheer/yell loudly during the game. if you don’t fit that criteria you can GIT OUT of my section!

please… mingling with other people unlike you is part of being out in public.

This is the most wonderful news. We have so wanted to bring our 3 year old grandson to his first ballgame but even though we would have had his “epi-pen” (hypodermic needles with shots in case of any contact with peanuts)with us, we were far too scared. Thanks to the group who persuaded the Cardinals to try this and a million thanks to the Cardinals’ management who have agreed. For many children, contact with peanuts is not just a case of an annoying rash—it causes them to go into anaphylactic shock and is most definitely life-threatening.

No food allergies in my family - thank goodness.

I don’t resent accommodations for people with these allergies, but I am bothered by helicopter parents with allergic children. These people constantly hover over their children, and are ready to savage anyone who dares eat a peanut M&M around their child. Frankly, how are we supposed to know the child is allergic? They look normal on the outside. A bit more understanding – on both sides – would be helpful.

As for the Redbirds, I’m fine with a peanut free zone. I consider this a promotion, meant to bring in a segment of people who normally avoided ball parks due to the presence of peanuts. If it increases attendance for them then it’s a success. If it ends up alienating some of their regular crowd (who like peanuts, crackerjacks, etc) and reduces attendance it’s a failure and will be canceled. After all, the Redbirds don’t Have to do this – it’s a business decision.

Thanks Cards and Rascals! From a Mom of a peanut allergic child this allows us to go to a game with just a little less worry that my son could end up in the hospital from taking in America’s favorite pastime!

This is accomidation just like for those in wheelchairs, except for my son, it’s not that he cannot get where he wants to go, but instead he puts his life in danger by going at all! No there are really no peanut safe zones at a Ballpark (or most other public places for that matter), but just being able to know that the organizations are trying to allow my child to enjoy what most other take for granted is much appreciated!

Incidentally, I really wasn’t being facetious when I asked where all these allergies are coming from. One theory I read in an article written by a doctor suggested that we’re raising “hot house” children. In our obsession with germs, we’re sanitizing everything in sight. Our homes are climate controlled year round, filtering out anything that might be “lurking” in the environment. The child’s body never has to deal with various potential allergens and the child’s immune system never learns to distinguish between the deadly and the merely annoying. It made a certain amount of sense. As I said, back in the day, you seldom heard of all these allergies. But then we grew up in homes where there was no air-conditioning so anything floating around outdoors was indoors as well. The only sanitizing products were soap and water. We were surrounded by dogs and cats and, yes, even the dreaded cigarette smoke. By the time we entered school we’d been exposed to just about everything and our bodies had learned to cope with it.

Of course, this is just one theory. There may be something in current childhood immunization shots that really shouldn’t be there. There may be some environmental issues that are causing people’s bodies to overreact to what should be harmless substances. But there’s definitely something going on. I have no doubt that peanut allergies are real. But why are we having skyrocketing cases of peanut allergies?

If anyone is allergic to any kind of peanut dust how can they walk through the ball park without coming in contact with some kind of peanut dust? Great idea, but there is that problem with peanut shells in most all other parts of the ballpark.

As a bleeding heart liberal, sometimes I think things are taken too far. This peanut allergy thing has gotten out of control. A half of a percent of the population of the United States has this allergy and with varying levels of reaction. I agree with Pat Carpenter, I think we need to find out why we seem to have so many people who have allergies to certain products. In my opinion, it seems like to me it coincides with the proliferation of the ADD “epidemic”. Most parents send their children off to school loaded with sugar after eating a healthy breakfast of candy cereal, and make these 5 to 10 year old kids sit for an extended period of time listening to things to both kids and adults alike find completely boring. Children not paying attention in class? Of course not they are freaking kids! Everyone in this society that we live in love to be “different” or “special” or have something wrong with them to give them an excuse or a reason why they aren’t the best at everything they do. I’ve got to run, but probably not as fast as I really can though, I not wearing the right kind of shoes today.

The author wrote:
“My son is severely allergic to peanuts and eggs,” Depke said. “It’s not that he can’t go to games, but it makes us very anxious.”
I think we need a EGG free section in a my local IHOP or Denny’s. I get really anxious when i go to these places.
This is so freaking silly. I am deathly allergic to nuts as while and I find this silly. You just have to be careful and watch your surroundings. Baseball is Americas Pastime. Let people eat nuts where every they want.

Free peanuts??!!! Is this for every game or just special dates?

I hope they do a free beer night, too!

Dave - you are right it is scary. If someone is truly allergic to inhalling dust - I would think that peanut free section or not someone with that severe of an allergy wiould not be going to the ballpark.

My son has a contact allergy (in addition to injestion) - so when we go (anywhere really) we try to avoid contact by not holding handrails, bringing our own snacks and washing his hands a lot. Still, sometimes reactions occur. Having this peanut free area will not make the ballpark safe, but will at least keep him from having peanuts in the seat right next to his!

Nowhere is completely safe, but those with allergies cannot live in a bubble, you do what you can to avoid and spend a lot of time hoping that each time you go anywhere that it won’t involve a trip to the hospital or the need to treat for a reaction.

-”This is accomidation just like for those in wheelchairs, except for my son, it’s not that he cannot get where he wants to go, but instead he puts his life in danger by going at all!”

- You know, it risks my life every time I go running around an open field waving a golf club above my head during a lighting a storm, that’s why I don’t do it! I sorry to say, if it is such a threat, you might not be able to do it.

In Nov. 2005, a mom named Lisa Turner, whose children do not have food allergies, posted the letter below on the Kids with Food Allergies (KWFA) forum. She gave permission for anyone to use it should they need it, and I have gotten permission from the head moderator of KWFA to post it here.

I think it’s an amazing letter that is all the more powerful because it’s written by a parent who initially was very upset that her family would have to change its life a bit to accommodate others, and then — because she educated herself — came around to see why it was necessary.

*******************************************

Dear Parents and Guardians:

I am writing this letter to you because your school has decided to implement a ban on peanuts, tree nuts, and/or other foods that have been associated with life-threatening allergies, and I know the initial reaction you may have regarding such a ban.

I am the mother of a little girl who started school this year. About two weeks before school started I read in a local newspaper that the school she will be attending has decided to put such a ban into effect.

My first reaction was one of shock, but it quickly turned into complete ANGER! I couldn’t believe that the school would actually do something that drastic because ONE child had an allergy. Since when did the misfortunes of one dictate the rule for the majority? I rallied support together, I wrote to the newspapers, I called television stations, and I put up posters expressing my outrage and encouraging parents who felt the same way to attend the next school board meeting and “let our voices be heard”. I even drafted up petitions to have the members of the school board removed so that a new school board could be elected, one that looked out for the needs of every child instead of just one. After all, nobody was going to tell me that I couldn’t send my picky eater to school with a peanut butter sandwich! Then I went online to get some ammunition.

What I got however, was something completely different. I got an education. I stumbled across a site for people with life-threatening allergies and the parents of children with life-threatening allergies. The first thing I found out was that, although rare, it is a lot more common than I had realized, but being angry I posted my question, “Do you really think that a ban is necessary?” I used all my arguments. If a child is allergic to bees, do you keep all the kids in at recess? If a child is in a wheel chair, do you build a ramp or tear out the stairs? I mean after all, there are other allergies out there, and there is no way to guarantee that the school will be completely free from these foods, so where do you draw the line?

At first I wasn’t open at all to hear their reply, I was just venting, but then I really started reading what they had to say, and it was then that I started learning. You see… I put my daughter on the bus for the first time in her life. I was afraid she wouldn’t find her classroom. I was afraid she would forget to raise her hand before she spoke. I was afraid she would get on the wrong bus coming home, but what I wasn’t afraid of was that I would get a call from the school saying that my daughter wouldn’t be coming home; she is being rushed to the hospital by ambulance because of a common, everyday peanut butter sandwich. It was then that I realized what these parents are going though. Some don’t have the luxury of worrying about little things.

These parents aren’t trying to take anything away from our kids; they are trying to keep their kids safe. I looked back at my initial reaction so I could figure out what had made me so mad, and when I was completely honest with myself, I found the answer. I was mad because I was going to be inconvenienced. I was willing to put a child’s life in danger so my daughter could eat a sandwich, and what did that say about me? I mean, if I saw a dog attacking any child wouldn’t I do whatever I could to protect that child? And if that is the case, why am I so opposed to eliminating peanut butter from 5 meals out of the 21 she will have in the course of a week?

The fact of the matter is you don’t keep all the kids in at recess, but you don’t put a child with a bee sting allergy in a lunchroom full of bees either.

The fact is EVERY child is entitled to a “free and appropriate public education in a least restrictive environment”, translated that means the school has a legal responsibility to provide a safe learning environment for ALL children, and where do you draw the line? You draw the line when the unique needs of the community served by the school have been met.

It’s not easy to put your child in the hands of strangers when you know that many of them may have just eaten, or are bringing to lunch, the same thing that is poison to your child, and many of these parents would home school if they could, but just like you and I, sometimes that is not an option.

The parents of children with life-threatening allergies don’t expect us all to learn this overnight, and they don’t expect us to shop for our children as if they had this allergy, and while they know that the school will never be completely free from these foods, one less sandwich, or one less snack containing these foods being brought into the schools, will be one less risk to their child’s life.

I am not saying that it hasn’t been a struggle at times, but you have to ask yourselves… Is convenience really more important than life? In my book, that answer is no, so any small inconvenience I have is worth it.

Sincerely,

Lisa Turner

It’s one little section in a great big ballpark so that my little boy can see a ballgame just like every other kid and feel normal for a couple of hours. Just a couple of hours. He’s a LITTLE BOY. He loves baseball. For goodness sake, it’s not even a weekend game we’re asking for…these are Monday and Wednesday games. This isn’t about human rights or banning things people can’t live without. It’s about some little kids getting to sit in the stands in St. Louis, this great baseball town, and take in the atmosphere, participate in the roar of the crowd, maybe get Fredbird’s beak on their little heads. One little section in a great big ballpark. Everyday our lives are about protecting my son’s life - HIS LIFE! HE COULD DIE FROM THIS. From a stinking little peanut! We live this everyday. Just a couple of hours of normalcy for these little kids…and all of this cruelty posted on a public forum by so-called ADULTS. It makes me sad.

I have more life-threatening allergies than anyone else I know (socially), and stuff like this irks me.

Okay, if it stays like this, one or two sections, a few times per year, as a way of attracting a specific group, that’s fine, commendable and good business. But if it becomes a matter of ACCOMMODATING these freaks (oh yes, I said it) by forcing others to accept restrictions, well, NO WAY. It’s ludicrous. Should we have entire legume/banana/egg/poultry/raw vegetable/random grains-free sections of every grocery store, and a ban on certain types of trees in every neighborhood so that Kev can pretend to be just like everyone else? Yeah. Great. Oh, and no-thank-you.

Life is hard. Life is patently unfair. Deal with it; don’t impose your personal problem on other people any more than is necessary.

There are lots of things I can’t do due to my own freakish issues. It’s just the way it is. I gave up being a fighter pilot, astronaught, professional baseball player, etc. If it means not going to the ballpark without wearing special clothing and attention to weather conditions, those to whom it matters are perfectly capable of dealing with it.

But, rant aside….this is still pretty cool program, as it is.

This is a good idea and I’ve got the ER bills to prove it.
The real problems are restaurants that use spoons and knives on nut-bearing foods and then contaminate other foods with them.
Anyone that has had to stab themselves with a 3 inch needle in an Epi-pen will agree with me.

Baseball, as necessary as it is for the life of red-blooded patriotic Americans, is still found on TV.

This is for Teresa.

Your lack of compassion on this issue is only superseded by the depth of your inadequate information. Your allergies, while they may bother your or even make you sick, will not kill you within 4 minutes or put you in the ICU for the tiniest exposure. Same could be said for your other examples. People with eyeglasses? Are you actually serious with that comparison? Your other examples are equally ridiculous. Children with severe peanut allergies live a life of doing without so many things. Any effort by the public or a ball park to make special accommodations so that these kids can enjoy something others take for granted, is welcomed and demonstrates the best in humanity. Your stance, demonstrates intolerance, ignorance and lack of compassion.

I think this is great. And it’s vastly different from a smoking section on several counts, not the least of which is the fact that a peanut-free zone does no harm to others. I, for one, am tired of being near a smoking section and being subjected to second-hand smoke, which is detrimental to my health. (Frankly, I was recently at a Cards game and disgusted by the cloud of smoke I had to endure leaving the stadium. I would love to see the Cardinals ban smoking anywhere on their property.) Further, children with these allergies did nothing to bring them on. It isn’t a planned behavior. This is no different than parking spots for the disabled. Kudos to the Rascals and the Cardinals!

Just did a little quick research on peanut allergies. Researchers have seen a definite genetic connection in that food allergies seem to run in families. Maybe mom’s allergic to eggs, but for some reason the kid’s body decides that peanuts are evil incarnate instead. One article gave some more potential “whys.” One was what I mentioned about kids being overprotected from the environment, one suggested that peanut processing may be to blame rather than the peanuts themselves, and yet another pointed the blame to what mom may or may not have eaten in her pregnancy. One theory suggested that the inital allergen trigger might be soy products–God knows they’re everywhere–which then transfers over to peanuts. Cases of peanut allergy have doubled in the past ten years but that may be due to increased recognition of the allergy. Incidentally, the peanut allergy can run anywhere from a rash to digestive upset to respiratory issues. Severe respiratory shock is rare, but there is some evidence that it can occur with repeated exposure to peanuts. On the other hand some kids outgrow it completely. So maybe parents of kids with minor reactions have been told horror stories and don’t want to risk Johnny’s rash and sneezing turning into something much worse. Still, there has to be something they can do with these kids to enable them to lead relatively normal lives and make this a non-issue for society at large.

As a parent of a child who has gone into anaphylactic shock from ingesting a peanut product I applaud both teams for taking this initiative. Sure, it’s going to tremendously inconvenience an untold number of patrons who desperately wanted to sit in the one section set aside by each team for a handful of games. But like we have to deal with our child’s situation, I’m sure they will be able to deal with it also.

My son was not raised in a bubble, he has not been overly protected or coddled or been followed around with hand sanitizer and Lysol. No, he just has a peanut allergy. Fortunately it’s not as severe as some, but if he ingests something with peanuts there will be a problem. This is why the epi pen is always at hand.

We don’t go out of our way to ask for special treatment, we understand that most don’t know his situation (or, in some cases, just don’t care), and we deal with it.

Someone posing as a doctor should not make a general statement like “if they don’t eat the peanuts or anything that is cooked in peanut oil, they’re not affected”. A doctor would know that refined peanut oil will not cause allergic reactions in the vast majority of individuals, however crude peanut oil is more likely to do so. Nice try, “Fritz”.

Lastly, to Jeff, it sounds like you handled your situation at the game with much more composure than I would have. It doesn’t matter if a person is eating peanuts, popcorn, cotton candy or whatever… if he was that big of a jack*** and continued to get it on my child, there would have been a severe reaction, and not of the allergy kind.

What percent of the population suffers from peanut allergies, and what percent of those who do suffer severe or life-threatening reactions?

If sports teams want to set aside a portion of seats in their facilities to accomodate fans with special needs, they can knock themselves out. Doesn’t bother me in the slightest. It would be Draconian to not allow any fan to have peanuts just to appease one or two. This has already happened in schools and some airlines.

Who are the “River City Rascals?” Until I can’t have a box of Cracker Jacks @ Busch, I couldn’t care less. Peanuts are great for you, and they’re an American tradition at sporting events. If you took the allergies of the whole American population and banned every possible one, there’d be no food to eat. Why don’t they just ban fish @ restaurants, chocolate from desserts, etc.? Gimme a break people!

If people are as bothered by Peanuts as I am by most perfumes/colognes, I would support a peanut-free zone. In lieu of bathing, some people I think just add another layer of “cover-up”. I’d prefer smelling someone’s body odor vs their (cheap) perfume/cologne.

So if the establishment of a peanut-free zone will create a healthy environment that attracts fans whose allergies prevents them from otherwise attending games, let’s go with it!

It’s a nice gesture, however I don’t think it will help much at the Cardinals game, being outdoors. How will designating a section prevent them from being near peanut shell dust? The people sitting on the end of section whatever will be right next to the people sitting on the end seats of the next section over. I sympathize with those with alergies, but designating one section isn’t going to help much When the wind blows, it blows things from further than one seat away.

And what good does it do to call a section peanut free for the Cards starting on July 21? For all I know, I have a block of them. Are they going to make people trade their tickets to people with peanut alergies? Odds are the people who have peanut allergies that have tickets are not sitting in that section. I don’t recall there being a peanut allergy questionaire when I bought my ticket package.

I think it’s just a stupid PR gimmick at best. While they’re at it, I have a few ideas. Why don’t they make section 114 cotton candy and nacho free. Cotton candy and nachos are dangerous in that they make children fat. I think parents should have the option of going to a game without their fat children facing the temptations of cotton candy and nachos. Also, I think section 312 should be kosher, to appease the Jewish people who wish to come to a game and not wonder if their hot dog was inspected by a rabii or not. Also, for those people who wish to attend a game and not have their fashion senses offended, I think section 343 should have mullets, butch haircuts, and J.C. Penny’s clothing banned.

I think this is a great idea. We already have peanut-free sections in many school cafeterias and some restaurants, so it is not like this is something totally outlandish. To all of those people who are saying that they should not have to accomodate people with allergies, I agree only to an extent. I am allergic to cats, but I don’t expect people to get rid of their cat when I come over. I simply avoid them. But, even if I have to be near a cat, the worst injury I will have is sneezing, itching, and coughing.

But, for people with a peanut allergy, it is not as simple as avoiding them. The dust from anyone who is eating them in the vicinity can cause severe injury or death.

Besides, it is not as though these ballparks are saying “No peanuts allowed.” They are simply creating one section to accomodate those with an allergy. It is just like having a choice between smoking or a non-smoking section at a restaurant. (Ok, assuming that restaurant is not part of a smoking ban…) You have a choice to sit in a special section or not. A variety of choices is what makes this country great! That, and baseball!

Kudos to the Cardinals and the Rascals who are getting some great publicity out of this. This was a great PR move. Just look at all the comments….

Unless its enclosed in a bubble will it really be all that much safer?

If your child or you have a deadly reaction to peanuts will you be willing to trust the minimum wage immigrant cleaners to keep that one area totally free of peanuts? Sounds like you would really be taking a chance.

I guess its the thought that counts. What about other allergies. Will there be a section for them too?

Great Idea HERE - Ballparks have group ticket sales. Have the SPECIAL organization buy the tickets well in advance and distribute as they see fit. Make special requests of Ball Park staff to prepare them for your groups SPECIAL NEEDS. I would think reasonable requests would be honored, such as, in this case, hosing down the section, having Emergency Personnel nearby. Then NO BIG DEAL is made of the situation. It’s a win win for everybody except possibly the home team.

I’d like to offer some education, as the mother of a peanut-allergic child, on this subject since there seems to be some confusion. It is EXTREMELY RARE that someone would have an airborne reaction to peanut dust. People with this type of peanut allergy should avoid places like ballparks at all costs. It is much more common for people to have contact allergy (from touching - not anaphylactic) or ingestion allergy (from eating - can be anaphylactic). Let’s say for instance someone ate some peanuts, got the peanut oil on their fingers, then touched a handrail. If my son then touched that handrail and put his hand in his mouth, he would have a severe allergic reaction that would require an epipen to be administered and a trip to the emergency room for treatment. This is my reality, and it can happen ANYWHERE. I’ve learned to live with it and to deal with my own anxiety. Because of this, the Cardinals and Rascals have a crew who will be deep cleaning each section where we will be sitting with our children. This cleaning operation will be supervised. There will also be ushers there in case of an emergency and EMTs onsite nearby. Yes, there will be people in the ballpark eating peanuts, and yes there will be areas where the peanut shells are unavoidable. However, on these days at the ballparks, as we do in real life, we will take the proper precautions to protect our children in case of the rare chance that there would be a reaction. These teams are not trying to sterilize the entire area and put us in a bubble, they are just trying to lessen the likelihood of a reaction so we can enjoy a day at the ballpark just like any other family. We live this everyday, people! We carry epipens and benadryl and wet wipes in our purses! Until you’ve lived it, you have no right to speak down upon us! As many of you have said, the world cannot cater to every disability, and you are very much correct! However, this is just a small accomodation that is not inconveniencing anybody. These teams are doing something nice for our kids to let them have just a little bit of normalcy, and the results of their kindness will be long-lasting.

MAybe the cardinals should have ‘bubble’ kid day. Where they hand out plastic bubbles to enclose your kid in so they dont touch anything dirty or touch peanuts. Also What about everyone elses allergies. I allergic to nuts, and stupid idiot people. Like the people that came up with idea and agree with it.

This is GREAT NEWS. And I ask you this, Teresa, and the other complainers: what are you sacrificing by not sitting in that one tiny section? What are you giving up? I guarantee that if you had a child with nut allergies, your tune would change overnight. You are speaking out of both ignorance and hostility, a scary and dangerous combination. For your information, we do not have our child sit in the peanut-free table at school because we have educated him and his friends to keep their food to themselves. He takes his own hostess cupcake to birthday parties. We have NEVER ASKED for any accommodation WHATSOEVER. But when it comes to baseball games, how am I supposed to prevent the adults around us from literally throwing their peanuts around? I can’t. If people had better manners with their peanuts, this would not be a problem. THANK YOU CARDINALS!

Well, since it isn’t a set aside for women or minorities, the conservatives should be ok with it. But folks need to realize, a lot of these allergies are brought on from chemical exposure. I don’t mean each attack follows exposure, but they have found exposure to chemicals during pregnancies can cause allergic flare-ups and tendencies later. Exposure after birth just aggravates and enlarges the issue. Stress also brings on allergies in kids.
If you truly care about kids, don’t expose them to chemicals in their environments or foods. Fake flavorings and colors are chemicals. Many are used in home improvement products for god’s sake! Folks still smoke around their kids and that causes allergy problems, no matter how much the addict wants to deny it. Quit scheduling kids within an inch of their lives. Stress equals sickness. And you do know men you breed with who drink or smoke, or have exposures can be just as damaging to a fetus as the mother, doncha? Sperm of older fathers causes issues too in fetus immune systems.
Traditional medicine often won’t admit chemical and stress connections because some are linked to companies that make the chemically-filled products. Now wouldn’t it be ironic if the protected ones got hit by a drunk who drank alcohol at the game on the way home?
This was a surprisingly nice move by that ballpark to accomodate the affected. Easier than giving up the all-american lifestyle that brings on the allergies. We didn’t use to have these affected kids in these numbers. Sumpin’ is up that all the separate seats in the world won’t solve. Parents whose children ARE affected would do well to research and think otuside the box, because if your kid has some illness the drug companies are profiting from, they will not want the disease to be cured. Bad for the bottom line, doncha know! Lest you poo-poo this as liberal drivel, ask the many who moved away from the more polluted areas, got their kids on a decent diet and quit smoking around them how much better they do day to day.

As the mom of a son with peanut/tree nut allergy, I am thrilled at this! While he’s still a little young to go with his recent diagnosis it feels like any new experience is a scary one but I look forward to having an option as he gets older for him to have the experience. I know we can’t change everything to protect every situation but I appreciate places like a ball park making an effort to include.

I think a lot of Americans like to have a “special ailment” that they can use as a crutch or that makes them feel that they’re no longer just and ordinary dumb slob. “Oh I suffer from “Big Eye” therefore I’m excluded from activities that cause me to have to interact with the public at public events.” “Oh well then don’t go.” And Americans LOVE to be on maintenance drugs. Again because they want to feel like there’s something unique about themself.

Plus - There’s no clause in the Constitution stating I don’t have to be offended by everyone else. Humans are offensive and that’s all there is to it and Americans are unusually offensive (see Ugly American). I could go to a ballgame and rant about the woman next to me that has vaginal odor or the fat slob that’s drinking too much and smells of alchohol or the ever present loudmouth hurling obscenities but that’s just life with American humans. American humans are just offensive beasts and I expect that from them.

Why not just wrap your kid up in bubblewrap so no harm can come to them?

OK, I want separate seats for: very obese people, tobacco spitters, alcoholics, rednecks and hooders, terrorists, perfume pourers, republicans, cussing loud ones, pimps, ugly people, people with more than two rug rats, democrats, cigarette smokers, hookers, ticket scalpers, politicians, first responders, crooked corporate executives, crotch scratching athletes, child molesting priests, hoochie mommas…what do you mean we have run out of seats???? I think I’ll just go hiking.
Let’s just keep these kids out of schools and supermarkets too. I don’t want my prices to rise due to lawsuits against nut sellers. I want them to rise due to corruption and graft, like always! Man, you all are gonna be in trouble when cheap peanuts replace the expensive corn wasted on fuel boondoggles. GB treating you right baby! Wuss me baby wuss me up good…whine…whine…whine…

Coming right after the stories on parents whining if their kids had to play baseball with wooden bats makes me think there is no way we would defeat any country going to war against us in a few years. We are having trouble now, but with this new generation molded into weak whiners, it can only get worse. Teach your allergic kids to speak chinese. That’s who they will answer to soon. QUIT FEEDING THEM CHEMICALS doofusses…

Pat C,

I think your line of questioning is interesting, and I’ve also looked into it. I believe that some of the increase is environmental – by overprotecting the children they become very sensitive to irritants they would otherwise tolerate well. However, in the case of life threatening allergies (like peanuts), I think genetic makeup outweighs environmental influence. Why would we see an increase in the amount of genetic based allergies? Higher survival rate.

I believe that medicine and parental knowledge of rare problems have advanced to the point that children who would have otherwise died now survive and have offspring of their own. For example, the Epipen everyone keeps mentioning has only been out for just over 27 years, and the metered dose inhaler for just over 22 years. Increased survival rates for otherwise fatal disorders will increase the prevalence of those disorders in the general population.

Now before someone accuses me of being in favor of eugenics - I’m Not. In today’s world, having a good head on your shoulders is worth more than having an immune system that allows you to wallow in the mud or a digestive system that can safely consume anything slower than you. Who knows, todays peanut allergic kid could become tomorrows engineer and solve the worlds energy crisis, or a doctor that cures cancer.

When I heard this story on the news last night, my first thought was, “What a nice thing to do for these kids.” These teams didn’t have to do any of this, but they are going out of their way to provide a nice day for these families to forget about their cares for just a little while. I’m not the parent of an allergic child. Honestly, I don’t know anyone with food allergies. My children are healthy and full of life without a care in the world. I can’t imagine what it would be like if it were any different, like it is for these poor parents that have to worry that every food their child may eat could kill them. The very thing that is supposed to keep them alive could be poison. Can you imagine that for a minute? The anxiety, the fear, the unknown? Forgive me for having a moment of “wow, what a great world we live in that someone would do something so nice.” It only took a moment of reading some of your comments on this subject to snap me back to the reality of our cruel world. Thanks Ignorant People for bringing me down from my cloud. I can always count on you to say something awful and inappropriate about children.

Uh, we DO stay home. We’ve learned that it’s dangerous and WE DO STAY HOME. So maybe the Cardinals, as a private enterprise, want our business and are doing what it takes to get it? Isn’t that what free enterprise is all about? As long as we’re talking about freedoms, shouldn’t the Cardinals be “free” to control their environment to keep children safe, if that’s what they choose to do? It’s not as if the stadium is your own living room.

Listen all you haters. Until you watch your daughter nearly die innocently. Until you stand next your son helpless as his airway closes up. Until you have to stab a 1 1/2 inch 8 gauge needle from an Epipen into your child’s leg, maybe twice. Do not say this is an over reaction. I have the menus of at least 2 dozen different restaurants memorized. So I know what my 4 year old daughter can eat. She has a severe milk allergy.
When she was about 1, after I ate an ice cream sandwich I picked her up to put her in the bathtub when I set her down she had red HANDPRINTS on her back and stomach from a contact reaction. We are not talking lactose intolerance or a tummyache. We are talking deathly if ingested. Some peanut allergies are air bourne. Now common sense should tell you that if that is the case a big stadium is not a small enough enclosed area for a reaction to occur in the air. What is worth more to you a kid dying or a kid or adult(I guess I use that term loosely) not getting their peanuts. You know what your right that is a tough one!!!!

Irritable bowel syndrome. We need separate restrooms and seats from those who suffer from it. Do you know how long a bathroom line IBS causes? Wheat allergies abound. Separate seats for bread eaters who suffer I say! People depress me to the point of suicide. How about me being the only person in the stadium a night or two so I can feel normal, ie a ball watcher. It could save my life!

Way to go Jeff! I applaud you! My life revolves around never having to use that epipen…so far I’ve succeeded, but I’ve been very blessed. Any of my son’s reactions could have been much worse. And a lot of these people do not realize that reactions can change from one to the next. You never know what to expect. It’s absolutely terrifying. Until it happens to them, most people don’t get it or comprehend that this is a life and death struggle for parents of food-allergic children. I truly applaud you for standing up for your daughter! You’re a great dad!

I used to work in the genetics/medical field and it is amazing how many folks keep breeding more kids, even knowing their kids will surely suffer from painful, deadly illnesses. One set of parents sticks in my mind who had six kids when they knew each would suffer from painful, then deadly, lung ailments. Can’t do much about that mind set. Seat set asides won’t hurt anyone, but it doesn’t get to the cause of these diseases. Many parents have been told the cure, or at least how to lessen problems, but few we counseled actually changed their lifestyles enough to help their kids. We pay in insurance costs and in watching kids suffer for this hard-headedness. A lot IS chemically caused. Chemicals are cheaper than natural. People shop on price.

Life is full of life and death situations. If a peanut allergy was the ONLY thing any child would have to be ever fearful of, I’d be ecstatic. Pure math, chances are allergy sufferers are infinitely less likely to die at a ball game than transporting themselves to the game. IMO, you are out of touch with parental responsibility to even take a child to an area where peanuts will have a 100% chance of being present in large quantities.

I say raise ‘em up right so we can kill them in unjust and lie-fueled world occupations. We MUST keep these kids alive for war fodder. Drop the peanuts kids and pick up the guns! Hoo-Rah

I have a 2-year-old son with a life threatening peanut allergy. All of the precautions allergy parents take used to seem overblown to me until I watched my little boy almost die in the ER from a peanut reaction.

I am thrilled that these two organizations are making it possible for my husband and I to take our little boy to a baseball game. It’s only one peanut-free section, but it makes us feel much more comfortable.

Those who still want to eat peanuts can know themselves out in the rest of the stadium.

Wow. I so glad I read these comments to find out that my allergies aren’t as serious as they are! Shoot, I guess not being able to breathe isn’t nearly the problem I thought it was. I didn’t even know that I’m totally to blame for having these allergies! I feel SO enlightened now!

I know there are idiots everywhere, but there’s a tiny part of me that wishes all the ones that have made such STUPID comments here get to experience anaphalaxis for themselves. I’ll even be nice and let you borrow my Epi-pen so you don’t suffocate.

I can’t imagine anyone having a problem with this. Or maybe I should say that I can’t imagine anyone with an ounce of compassion having a problem with this. It doesn’t hurt anyone elses enjoyment of the game and offers a place for people who may not have been able to enjoy a game at the ballpark otherwise. I can’t imagine that there would be any difficulty filling a section or two with people with peanut allergies every game. The fact that they are doing this without it being forced on them by some group who thinks it’s some requirement that the ballpark accomodate them is even better. I hope groups take notice of what happens when people ask nicely!

I don’t have peanut allergies, but I’ve seen what they can do. Now, not every peanut allergy is that severe, but not every reaction is the same every time in the same person. So you don’t want to take too many chances. The next one might be bad enough to kill you. That being said, with some of the comments I’ve read here, I’d be a little worried that some jerk in the next section might throw a bag of peanuts into the area just to watch everyone scatter. Hopefully they have a plan to keep the area under control. You can’t stop people from being jerks I guess.

Many of the people ridiculing this voluntary, reasonable accommodation are the same people who scream loudest when groups become activist and use government to impose even harsher remedies. I commend businesses who voluntarily try to accommodate special needs customers without loosing consideration for the remainder. I don’t know of anyone with allergies as severe as those discussed here, but I think reasonable accommodations for them are a great idea. I also don’t smoke, but I don’t think it should go to the extremes of the anti-smokers or result in a venue wide ban of peanuts. The business owners should decide on the product they offer and the customers should decide whether to patronize them. Just keep the tyranny of government out of it.

I have nothing against these sections…seems like a nice thing to do on their own…but while they’re at it, can they give us adults some “children-free” zones?

Going to baseball games is not a requirement for life. People with allergies have to find ways to cope in life. People with sun allergies do things in side, people with peanut allergies could go to the park or bike riding, or to the zoo, whatever. We can’t accommodate everyone. If we have a peanut free zone, then others with different allergies are going to expect specific zones for them. Entertainment and free time activities need to be adjusted by each individual or family - not the general public.

Thanks to the ball teams for trying this out. Peanut allergies, unlike most allergies, are generally always potentially life-threatening and there is no “cure” (allergy shots or such) which makes a peanut-free area more necessisary then another allergen-free area. While adults with allergies can make good decisions for themselves and understand that they can’t do everything because of their allergies, it is different with children. Explain to a little boy that he cannot go to a Cardinals game like all his friends becuase of his allergy. These kids have a lot of limitations on their young lives, and if these ball clubs can make a small gesture to allow this opportunity for families to enjoy a ball game together, then it is a great thing to do.

Okay, I get it. No free peanuts.

I think it’s a great idea for the kids who are peanut-alergic. I wish they had a section where they could bring in all the sick kids from Cardinal-Glennon for a game. It’s one thing to have a sick adult, but a sick kid just tugs at the heart a bit more, don’t you think?

I say give them all the allergy-free sections that they need, as long as the demand is there. Attendance is down this year, so I don’t think this is going to affect the average fan, and if it does, oh well. Consider it to be like the Great American Smoke Out, where people give up smoking for a day.

It’s about time people start to suck it up a bit for those less fortunate, and in doing so count their blessings.

Well, it’s their business and their decision. Hooray for those that feel they will benefit from this. I hope a peanut morsel doesn’t drift down from section 209 onto the head of someone in the peanut-free section 109.

It’s crazy that so many people are upset about parents trying to protect their children! We didn’t ask for the Cardinals to devote a section for every game. We didn’t ask them to not sell peanuts or make the stadium peanut free. We asked for and were graciously granted one section for one game. This is a tremendous opportunity for our kids to experience something that most people take for granted. Can you please just relax and let us enjoy a single baseball game in peace!

Everyone seems to have lost sight of the fact that this is a group outing for the Gateway FEAST organization, their friends and family, and others who may have peanut allergies and would not otherwise attend a game. These sections have been set aside for us to go see a baseball game. We are paying for our tickets just like any other group. We just happen to not want peanuts in the sections we’re sitting in and have paid for. This is a reasonable accomodation that the Cardinals and Rascals have been very willing to work with us on. As a matter of fact, they have gone above and beyond our expectations of their own free will - just to be nice and because they hope that our kids have a good time and want to come back. It’s not any different than the school for the blind going to a game and the Cardinals accomodating them with extra ushers to help the children get to their seats. Just because there happens to be a group of blind people sitting in a section as a group doesn’t mean that everyone in the ballpark has to shut their eyes so they can’t see it either. We’re not banning peanuts in the ballpark or taking anyone’s freedoms away. We’re having a group outing. We can’t have peanuts in our section. If that bothers you, then you most likely aren’t part of the food allergy community in St. Louis and you won’t be sitting there anyway. I guess the next time my daughter’s Catholic school goes to a game as a group you will all be having a fit because now you’ll all have to become Catholic, right? Geez!

Illinoismom, that was hilarious… but better yet, just dangle the epi pen in front of the moron as they slowly suffocate.

It’s amazing how many truly ignorant people we have in our little society. Wait, that gives me an idea: How about idiot-free sections at the ballpark? Oh no, that won’t work… judging from some of the responses on here the stadium would be mostly empty. Darn.

It’s truly shocking to see how selfish and cruel people can really be. Just reading all of these paranoid posts from people who think that if someone makes the slightest accommodation for one group, the sky will fall and we will all wake up embracing communism. It’s times like this I can only hope there is such a thing as Karma, because for all of the nasty and cruel posters here — you’ve got it coming to you.

I am so astounded at the selfish comments I am reading & literally had to just stop reading on account of losing brain cells by all the ignorance.

And again, I echo the many comments I’ve read when I say IMAGINE IF IT WAS YOUR CHILD. Would you want him or her to never experience a baseball game for fear he or she could die by sitting in front of / beside a person who was eating a food that could throw him/her into anaphylaxis?

This is not a case of some families overreacting or wanting special treatment. This is a medical situation where a family, who lives every single day of their lives having to be careful, be aware, miss out on birthday parties, amusement parks, possibly public school, eat/drink special things, never experience Ted Drewes, JUST WANTS TO GO TO *ONE* ball game without the fear that they’ll have to jam a humungous needle into their child’s leg in hopes that the epinephrine will open back up their airway.

I pray that no allergic child ever has to depend on you all to save him… rather than calling 9-1-1, you might tell him to “quit being a pansy, you’re fine” as his body goes into shock & his blood pressure plummets.

It’s apparent that there are still self-involved, insensitive people in our area, who can’t see beyond themselves to learn a little & God forbid, put themselves in someone else’s shoes.

Harper’s magazine had a great article about nut alergies in it’s Jan 08 issue, I suggest all read it-it’s 2 pages.

http://www.harpers.org/media/slideshow/annot/2008-01/index.html

They are NOT my kids so I neither have to accomodate them or “imagine” “What if it were my kid(s)”. The duty to accomodate for these kids rests with the parents NOT society! I already have to pay taxes to educate the worthless scum in public indoctrination centers around the area so they can grow up to be worthless eaters and dead end consumers, I’m not paying extra at a ballgame to lessen the likelihood that they’ll be around peanuts when eating peanuts is a part of the outdoor baseball experience. We get hammered with costs every day because “special interests” want everyone to shell out to accomodate their “special needs”.

“I pray that no allergic child ever has to depend on you all to save him… rather than calling 9-1-1, you might tell him to “quit being a pansy, you’re fine” as his body goes into shock & his blood pressure plummets.”

Darwin Rules! You’re gonna die because I know I can’t count on you either!

Oh my!!! For me and my family, watching baseball and enjoying peanuts right out of the shell is a tradition, but I always wondered about kids with allergies at baseball games. Prior to this rule, bringing a kid with peanut allergies to a ballgame must have been asking for trouble. Whenever people eat them, the shells get everywhere, the particles and shell dust blow around, etc. If someone around me asked me, I’d stop eating them for sure out of courtesy, but it never happened. I just figured people who had children with this severe allergy could not and would not take their kids to such a notoriously peanut-filled zone, which is a shame - going to see ballgames is a great part of any family’s life. I applaud this new rule.

I’m in my mid-twenties, and when I was little, peanut allergies were almost unheard of, but in recent years - and scientists are baffled as to why - a growing number of kids in the US have allergies to peanuts so severe that many schools have banned that once-favorite childhood staple, PB and J, from their lunchrooms…even if it is for the sake of a single kid. It’s a shame this is happening, since peanuts are delicious, nutritious and to those without allergies, PB and peanuts are a good source of protein and an inexpensive and kid-palate friendly sandwich spread. Still, it does require some sacrifices for the safety of others; I am cool with that. I just need to make sure I get the seats in the peanut-friendly zone!

NO MORE GUILT TRIPS! STOP DISCRIMINATING AGAINST NORMAL - HEALTHY PEOPLE!

I don’t think a peanut free zone is unreasonable. I think the organizations are trying to provide for more people to enjoy a baseball game. I think asking every kid in the entire school to not bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches because a child in another class has severe peanut allergy is unreasonable. There’s a balance that can be struck. One section out of the whole stadium one night a week isn’t infringing on anyone’s rights.

I am pleased the Cardinals have agreed to try this and that the Rascals already do so. My family and I will attend the Cards game on July 21 and ask our friends to join us so we can fill up the peanut free section. Our 12 year old son has a severe peanut allergy. When we go to games, (everywhere, actually) we are ALWAYS prepared for an accidental ingestion. At Cards games, we ask folks sitting around us who are eating peanuts to please throw their shells away from us, and they have been kind and understanding. To not have to worry about peanuts at the game would be a great relief. Unless someone has a child/loved one with this LIFE THREATENING!! issue, you don’t realize all of the potential danger. Thanks for the article, Kurt!

I am so grateful to the St. Louis Cardinals and the River City Rascals for working with families living with food allergies. While it upsetting to read some people’s insensitivity and cruelty, I really believe this “debate” is a great opportunity for education.

I enjoyed the first three and a half years of my daughter’s life, just like most others. I didn’t worry about what my child ate, any more than the average parent trying to get her to eat her fruits and veggies. I didn’t worry about sending her to pre-school, trick-or-treating or birthday parties. I didn’t read every single label at the grocery store or question menus at restaurants. I gave my kid PBJ sandwiches, and lived freely. And then, out of the blue, she had a reaction to peanuts. Upon testing, we learned she was allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. Our whole world changed.

Not only do we have to worry about what she eats, we have to worry about her coming in contact with nuts. The particles from peanuts and peanut oil are strong and can last on surfaces. As food allergy parents, we take every precaution, educate ourselves, pack our purses full of epi-pens and benadryl … and hope and pray. We take this role on, without expecting others to understand how daunting and frightening everyday life can be. But we are so very grateful for when others show compassion to try to help us do our best in taking care of our kids with this very strange and growing problem. (Growing astronomically - and affecting people at all ages.)

For people who think, “just don’t feed your kid peanuts” don’t understand the reality. The day my daughter was to be in a wedding, she ended up in the ER because people around her had eaten peanuts (without my knowledge) and TOUCHED her. She did not eat it - but came in contact with it. Her blood pressure dropped, she fainted and had breathing issues, along with vomiting/stomach upset.

So when the FEAST group enjoys their day at the ballpark, worrying just a little less about their kids … and letting their kids feel like everyone else for a few hours, thank your lucky stars that your reality isn’t ours. And for people who also have other allergies and conditions, I sympathize more and feel more deeply for your struggles because I know how difficult everyday, “normal” life can be.

The Harper’s Article mentioned in a post was a not very well researched opinion piece and quite frankly an example of bad journalism. The writer of that article is the author of books about failied relationships. She is no expert on food allergies and the article was attacked by those who suffer from food allergies, including medical experts. Here is a news story in fact that mentions the article and how misinformation lead to this child, Andrew Smith’s death from a peanut allergy.
http://tristatehomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=5678

“dr zira” & “brontosaurus”,

Huh?

I don’t even know where to begin with this one…..In my opinion, it is a nice thing that is being done. However, we all need to stop thinking that we are the only ones that exist on the planet and that everyone else needs to conform to us. It is sad that these children are having to go through this and be singled out, but I must agree with the person who questioned why this is an issue all of a sudden. Is it because we put our children in these glass bubbles and protect them from the world? We don’t let our kids get dirty any more, we shelter them from every inconceivable evil that exists. We don’t let our kids be kids any more.

We need to look at what constant pacification does to our children. Kids need a little disappointment in their lives, someone to say no to them once in awhile. And they need to get dirty!!! Stop turning them into antibacterial machines without the ability to fight off a peanut. There is a reason for a rise in these allergies, asthma, ADD, ADHD. Is it all the packaged food, soda, candy, kool aid, etc? We tend to give our kids what they want, when they want it, so we don’t have to listen to them. STOP. It is a disservice to them and to their health.

I have been fortunate as I have not suffered from any allergies. You ask how far should public places go to accomodate such issues? You answered that question in your statement, they are public places. Places intended for public use should at least try to make their facilities accessible to as many people as possible or should people with severe allergies not be allowed to enjoy a baseball game?

next we’ll have separate schools.

They should also have alcohol-free seating so you don’t have to listen to the drunks. And cuss-free seating!

“They should also have alcohol-free seating so you don’t have to listen to the drunks. And cuss-free seating!”

Yeah that’s the same thing as life threatening food allergy. The arguement that the ballpark should accomodate every annoyance or inconvience getting old. Listening to a drunk vs. a peanut allergic child having anaphylaxis and dying are two different things.

The same people here advocating for “Peanut Free Zones” I’m certain have zero problem with their country murdering over 1 million Iraqi and Aghan men, women and children because of lies about “Free-dom”

When will you peanut-a-phobes stop hating on peanuts? Peanuts have got a right to exist!

My first reaction to this was that it’s a ridiculous accomodation. After all, no one “has” to go to a baseball game. However, after reading the comment that this was started as a special event request for a food allergy group, I got over it a little bit. Why? Because they made a particular request for an outing/fund raiser and it was granted. That doesn’t sound like a boycott or financial threat. The Rascal’s organization decided to accomodate the request as a business decision. Would I have made that decision? Maybe, maybe not, but whomever took their request thought it was worth it. They saw a marketing opportunity. Wednesday night is probably not their busiest night of the week anyway, so it would “bother” fewer fans for whom peanuts are an integral part of the experience.
Besides, so far as I’ve read, the only “changes” are some extra cleaning and a few removable signs. If it works long term, great! A few extra fans can go to games, and the team will have a valuable marketing tool. If it fails (read - doesn’t make money), rip down the signs and move on.
Now if they start installing domes and vacuuming fans before they walk in, that’s something to start complaining about.

Oh and since everyone seems to be noting their allergy status - I’m allergic to pet dander, mold, and milk. I’m thankful everyday that I have to injest it and don’t have to panic if someone shakes creamer near my coffee cup or touches me after they’ve eaten cheese.

Then you would be certainly wrong with that assumption as well as win the “What Does That Have To Do With It?” award. Way to go.

Peanut-a-phobia indicates an irrational and unfounded fear of peanuts.

I have to respond to all of the comments about environmental reasons for peanut and other allergies. My son has a peanut allergy. His 12 year old TWIN SISTER does not. My son also had asthma and excema as a small boy. Do you really think one kid was cleaned more or sanitized? NO! We raised them side-by-side; they ate the same healthily prepared foods with occasional fast food meals. We also had a dog and certainly did not have the energy to keep an immaculate home. Stop the blame game! or the isolationist game. It is ONE SECTION and ONE GAME! Eat your peanuts; drink your beer; cheer on your team. Nobody is stopping you! Have a bit of compassion and empathy. It will make you feel better.
P.S. My 78 year old mom has been allergic to flour since 1960; my 54 year old sister has been allergic to tree-nuts since the 1950s. Food allergies are not a new phenomenon in my family. We learned to cook, eat and enjoy food- even with the limitation.

While we’re bringing up allergies - WHAT ABOUT THE ALLERGIC REACTION I HAVE TO HYPOCRISY! When will you people start accomodating me and wake up to the facism all around you?

I want package labeling that indicates country of origin! No more shoddy Chinese poison in mine or my pet’s food!

This is one more Minority group exercising a tyranny over the majority. Like all other Minority group demands.

When Camden yards opened in Baltimore one of my friends could not wait to take his 4 year old to his FIRST BALLGAME. Of course he had to take him to batting practice…after an hour of watching guys do the same things over and over his son tired quickly and the game had not yet started. Dad, of course, began to bribe him with food and drink. About the 5th inning the kid was going nuts to leave and his father said, ”Is there ANYTHING you want?” The boy answered, ”Crackerjacks”! The dad ran to the refreshment stand…no c-jacks. Up the ramp to another stand. No crackerjs. On up to the top level and again…no crackerjacks. Finally one of the concession stand people said, ”Buddy, we do not carry crackerjacks in the new park!” Armed with substitute caramel corn and some salt water taffy he thanked his buddy for watching his son. When the boys face dropped seeing the alternate fare, he asked, ”Why are you crying? they did not have any Crackerjacks!” The boy sniffed and said, ”But poppa! Its IN THE SONG!”

SAME GOES FOR NO PEANUTS. ONE SECTION AT A TIME WE WILL BE THE NEW NANNY STADIUM.

there is a peanut free zone - its called your home - give it a try.

Next we will have to appease and offer a “heterosexual free zone”

Will someone please step in and compare this to the civil rights movement. Please mention Nazis and the holocaust, then it will inspire fear and hatred towards those that don’t want a minute minority’s will forced upon them.

xmo2rep — Are you kidding me with that dribble you wrote? Oh God, we can’t have little spoiled brats crying about a song. That would be cruel and unfair for the little boy to not have Cracker Jacks at a baseball game and instead tell him to eat them all he wants at home. Boo Hoo.

Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some….?? (insert your favorite non-alergetic food here!)
I don’t care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don’t win it’s a shame.
For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out,
At the old ball game

Wow, so much hate and anger.
So many people that seem to hate everyone in world.

Why is this special section such a horrible thing? We are not talking about people you dont like or people who do something you dont like. We are talking about an illness that could kill a child. A child just trying to watch a stupid baseball game.

How dare you act like they are just overracting or babying their kids. Like the are doing this to just tick y ou off or inconveniance your life. Like its all a conspirancy to upset your world.

It is obvious to me that this is a topic that has been thought about by the stadium owners for a while. This tells me that there are a great many people that have asked about the possibility of a peanut free area.

To actually think that you having to sit next to a fat person or someone wearing too much perfume is as horrible as watching your own child going into shock and dying over a peanut allergy. Come on, grow up.

I just wonder if ticket holders in this area have been notified about the restrictions. I attended a minor league game once and found out I had purchased tickets in a no drinking and no cursing section. We were asked to leave our seats when we returned with beer and later an usher offered us cheaper seats. We were not happy.

Excuse me Vernon, I am the mother of a two year old little boy who is allergic to peanuts. This allergy is not just a few people “whining” as you put it. It is VERY serious and in some cases can result in death. It’s a shame that there are so many ignorant people out there like you who make it difficult for people like my “victim” of a son to feel normal. These people who are allergic to peanuts or anything for that matter do not choose to be that way and they have as much of a right to enjoy these events as you do! Where are you getting your facts about only 50,000 people out of 300 million having a peanut allergy?? It’s actually becoming more and more common. Grow up, learn the facts and stop being ignorant!

“Will someone please step in and compare this to the civil rights movement. Please mention Nazis and the holocaust, then it will inspire fear and hatred towards those that don’t want a minute minority’s will forced upon them”

I don’t think anyone (else) wants to look that stupid.

These arguments between the haters and the applauders are amazing to me.
Bottom line, this is a good will gesture aimed at good press for the Cards.

To the haters…. This isn’t some kind of goverment form of oppression. It’s a private organization making a decision on how they run their business. Case closed. If they wanted to, they could have a section reserved for people with bunyons. Why the heck would anyone else even care? That’s their right to do as they see fit. Rest assured that if they don’t get more butts in the seats, it will probably be phased out with another idea.

To the applauders…. do you really think one tiny section being peanut free is going to make a difference? How many peanut eating patrons will you have to walk by to get to this section? What happens if you end up sitting on the end of the row exactly 2 feet from the next section over, which is not peanut free? When the wind blows your way, the peanut dust will still be in your section. If myself or my child had a peanut allergy, I wouldn’t dare go anywhere where 45,000 people were cracking open peanuts when all you’re really guaranteed is a seat at least 2 feet from peanuts.

I never had any idea that there were so many selfish clueless idiots in the St. Louis area. No one is asking anyone to pay extra for tickets to accommodate the peanut free section. The hostility being demonstrated is truly mindboggling. I am not allergic myself nor do I have allergic kids, but as someone who frequents the games fairly often, I really don’t see how this is going to be stepping on my rights or making it more difficult on me personally. I do think that this may give the allergy sufferers a false sense of security though, as I can not see how you are going to make something absolutely peanut free without enclosing the space completely. I can see how well that suggestion would go over! It is clear that many of the responders are part of the “it’s all about me generation”, who have not yet figured out that the world does not in fact revolve around them. Not allowing peanuts in one section is not going to hurt anyone!!! Reducing the likelihood of someone dying from an everyday ordinary activity should be something we can do without crying! Get over it and grow the heck up!

Okay well here’s what I think: I think the word “hater” is thrown around way too conveniently these days in order for people to get their way. Allergic to peanuts? Eating them might cause you to die? Oh, okay. Well then don’t eat peanuts. But it goes deeper than that. Someone like this wants me to pay pennance for it and throw them a pity party. It doesn’t have anything to do with me. Hey, you’ve been injured, you’re in a wheelchair, you’ve got a life threatening disease and no cure, sure I’ve got a lot of sympathy for you and I’ll open the door, can’t reach something in the supermarket, no problem I’ll get it for you but C’mon! Something that can be avoided and you want me to feel guilty for it? No way! Don’t eat peanuts and you won’t die! Now get off my back about it! K?

P.S. What if my peanut dust drifts in to “their” area? Am I now liable? Will I be charged with a hate crime? Will I be charged with involuntary manslaughter? or premeditated murder?

“At the ballpark, they came first for the smokers, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a smoker;
And then they came for the drinkers, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a drinker;
And then they came for the peanut eaters, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a peanut eater;
And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up.”

I’m 45 and don’t ever remember anyone with peanut allergies when I was growing up. Odd.

I hate the smell of strong perfume/cologne and I know there are people out there allergic to these. I vote for a perfume/cologne-free section. We’ll call it the “Stinky Section”.

I see nothing wrong with it, as long as they don’t make the entire stadium go this way.

And I must confess at first it irratated me. Because I thought since the beginning of baseball, they have sold peanuts. Nobody has ever died(that I know of) at a baseball game because they sold peanuts. And suddenly in 2008, it is a life and death sitution when it never has before.

But that doesn’t matter. Because there is always a first. And it is, only a section.

By the way, someone mentioned about a alchohol free zone, and in LA, there is one at Dodger Stadium. Or atleast there was in the 80’s.

I have anaphylaxis to peanuts (that means it’s fatal) and am thrilled by the news of a peanut free section. I have had this allergy since I was two years of age and I can not tell you how much it means to me to see the public start to understand this allergy. I will be first in line to buy tickets to the Cardinals game for the peanut free section and I hope this becomes a permanent solution so that people like me, people who fear having a life-threatening reaction, can attend the games and actually enjoy them!

Thank you!!

How about a “Brain Free” section as that describes most Americans and especially ones that support a corporate fanchise with their tax dollars. I’ve never seen a “Tax Supported Appreciation” day at the ballpark. How about one of those?

My 8 yr old son is one of the biggest baseball fan, but could never go to a professional baseball game due to his peanut allergy. We are blessed to have him, but almost lost him once due to peanut dust. We plan to visit your stadium and have my son see his first professional baseball game. We are excited!!! To bad none of the California teams has this opportunity because this is where we live.

What bothers me is that there are people in our society who chose to not take food allergies seriously because they don’t “understand” them, or don’t want to understand them. There have been increases in MANY issues that affect the immune system, and no one seems to know why. Could it be genetically modified foods, vaccines, our overly clean societies, hormones in plastics, lead in toys? What is it going to take for society to step up and start asking WHY instead of ignoring what is going on with our children? What good does going after families whose children this has affected do?

Why would anyone be against more children attending a baseball game when they seats would go unused anyway? I’m not sure I understand how adults on this blog make fun of children who have these severe health issues. Because it’s a peanut that could kill them it’s somehow funny? I know it’s hard to fathom, but it’s true. Comments about wrapping in bubble wrap, etc. are VERY hurtful and damaging to these families that are affected. Adults should not talk to each other this way. Do you make fun of people whose health issues you don’t understand and don’t take the time to educate yourselves about? Is that fun?

We all need to have more understanding and realize that we don’t understand EVERYTHING, and that lately, there have been no answers, just the fact that there is a rise in food allergies, asthma, ADHD and autism. If you need another story about a fatality caused by a peanut allergy to prove a point, here is a story that just happened this past Feb. An 8 year old boy in Indiana lost his battle with peanut allergy, and with better education and understanding as a society, this possibly could have been prevented: http://tristatehomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=5678

Please take the time to educate yourselves before mean comments are made. We’re adults here, and lead should lead by example, not be bullies.

I’ve been out earning a living (and eating peanuts, actually) while some folks here have been carrying on about how I don’t understand.

My husband, (age 54) was an asthmatic kid, and still (!)gets breathing attacks so severe we’ve had to stop at a fire department looking for an EMT with a medic kit because he didn’t have an inhaler and we were miles from any store where we could have purchased one. I have a friend who goes into anaphalaxis when she is exposed to poison ivy. I’ve had such a severe reaction to about 100 mosquito bites in a half hour that I became short of breath, and without my quick thinking about getting to a store for some Benadryl, things could have gotten much worse. As for as the cigarette smoke + cat dander not killing me (I don’t mind the sneezing; it’s when the throat starts swelling and the lungs get wheezy that things get rather serious.)I have friends who smoke and have cats; the only way I can see them is to take a course of antihistamines a couple of hours before I go, and leave at the first sign of trouble. I grew up in a house with two smoking parents and it didn’t bother me; I couldn’t even go back to see my dad in his later years without the antihistamine treatment beforehand…just the smoke embedded in my childhood home set me off.

I cannnot believe that, if this is the big problem everyone says, that no reasonable prophylaxis has been devised.

In answer to Pat C: I bet it’s ultimately not really peanuts or other nuts the kids are allergic to, but something in the growing or modern processing. I remember when peanut butter was just peanuts, salt and water. Unfortunately, few people grow peanuts the way they did in the early 20th century, so we’ll probably never know, as testing is probably dangerous. I wonder if people can be desensitized to peanuts as they can be to poison ivy? Not that the allergy ever really goes away, but it can be downsized from life-threatening to merely serious.

I guess these kids can’t go to the George Washington Carver National Historic Site near Diamond, Missouri, either.

If this is for a special event, fine, do whatever. Even an annual special event. You’re not taking my baseball seat, as I haven’t been to a game since about 1984 or so. (The team is still called the Cardinals, no?) But, nature is cruel. Culling individuals is how the species survives, and the kids are going to have to adapt to their condition,and their environment or not make it to reproduce. (How are they going to be able to work anywhere near vending machines, common in workplaces and often filled with peanut products? Because of one person with a peanut allergy, 400 people in a cube farm don’t get their Planters and Baby Ruths? I think not.)

And don’t even think about flying Southwest.

The parents of these children with food allergies don’t want to keep them in bubbles, off airlines, etc. and have had experiences that they are reacting too. Those families who chose to attend the game are families whose children’s peanut allergy may not be as severe as others. We’re talking they might have a reaction if someone touched them and had peanut oil on their hands, not by the peanut dust in the air like others have. Parents of children with food allergies are VERY aware of the risks and how life really is, that’s the whole point. We want to raise our children to be responsible adults who can take care of themselves wherever they go. Adults and children will be attending the game with severe peanut allergies.

It is about the baseball teams providing a space that will have LESS peanut shells, dust,etc. We KNOW this as parents of children with these severe allergies. We will prepare our children about the possible risks as we always do without making it too much of an issue so they can enjoy a baseball game. Oh yeah, and a vending machine is a closed area. The peanuts would only pose a risk if you ate them and kissed/touched some children with peanut allergies, but true that there may be peanut oil everywhere! See how fun it is to think about all the possible exposures! Those possible exposures could be life threatening to some, but we will try to teach our children how to adjust as we do everyday!

Allergies are real and life threatening….not just sniffles and rashes. People die from severe allergic reactions. Just because it doesn’t affect you, doesn’t mean it isn’t real or it is someone’s imaginations. The lack of public awareness regarding allergies has resulted in the uneducated and mean-spirited comments I have read on this blog. People give more consideration and concern to animals and their rights. What kind of society have we become? Yes, allergies force people to live differently and cause parents to protect their children from allergens. It is a daily challenge for those affected, while we don’t expect the world to accommodate us, it sure is nice to have certain establishments show kind gestures. If individuals like ‘Teresa’ or ‘Brontosaurus’ had these allergies, they would mostly likely be the biggest advocates for accommodations. Sometimes I think people get jealous because others receive kind treatment. And regarding Dr. Zira, well, forget it….no comment.

I have no problem with a “Peanut-Free Section” and I have no problem with a “Smoke-Free Section”. But why can’t both smokers and peanut eaters be accommodated?

http://keepstlouisfree.blogspot.com/

I can still remember back when .0000001% of the population didn’t set the rules for the other 99.99999%.

Oh good lord people! As ludicrous as I find the school total bans, I think this is completely acceptable. It is one section. It’s not like it’s some behind the plate box seats, either.

Teresa/Steve/All Others That Don’t Get It,

You are obviously not informed on how dangerous peanut allergy (or any other food) reactons can be. It is not sneezing or just a rash. It is a life and death situation. It is not like my child just does not like the smell of peanuts. It is too bad that it is called allergy because too many people put it in the same category as hay fever etc. We go to the allergist 2 times a year for a blood test to see how high the numbers are for peanuts. I only wish there was a quick fix to prevent reactions such as a pill or a shot. Reseachers are trying to find cures. Don’t you think that all of the parents would be having our children get shots if there was one? We carry an EpiPen Jr. shot with us at all times just in case he has a reaction. It is only to be used after a reaction occurs. My son’s teacher has one in the classroom. (And yes, I do think that is fine. I am a teacher too, and I have had 2 children within the past 2 years with peanut allergies in my classroom). My son has a classmate who has a peanut allergy as well. It is very common. We live in constant fear of our children having a reaction while trying to act normal and calm so that our children will not feel afraid or different. My son is a 6 year old child who has to deal with this serious situation. He is an energetic boy who loves all sports. My family and I appreciate what the St. Louis Cardinals are doing! They do not know how meaningful this will be for my son who is only playing tee-ball now, but that has big baseball dreams just like many other kids without allergies!

p.s. I only hope that if some family member close to you develops any food allergies you will be more compassionate to them!

Teresa,

You couldn’t be more wrong if you tried with your assumptions on the causes of peanut allergies. For most it’s life long and doesn’t get better with age to be “just serious and not life threatening”. Your correlations to your own experience with allergies are not the same. Lookup the term “IgE” allergic reaction in some place other than that crackerjacks box you got your diploma from and then think twice before spouting off your own personal medical beliefs like you were some Havard train expert on the subject.

My son has a severe food allergy to milk. It only takes him 1/2 teaspoon to have a possible fatal reaction. Until he was diagnosed 10 years ago, our family knew nothing about food alelrgies and their degree of seriousness. Everyone is saying to educate the kids to take care of themselves. Education is a given with any food allergy child - it’s the community that we’re trying to educate so that these kids can do the same things that any other normal kid gets to do. Where is the empathy for these people that are affect by such a life changing condition. Before, you comment walk in their shoes for just one meal. You’ll learn that you read every label of every ingredient that goes into that meal. You ask how it’s prepared to avoid any cross-contamination. Then you eat the meal and pray that no mistake has happened and you don’t die. Remember - these are kids - let them have their chance to enjoy and try things you did.

According to PeanutAllergy.com, and yes, there is one, .5% of the population has this “issue”. I do feel bad for theses people, but what about the 20% that have hay fever. Sure, they won’t necessarily die - So how about astroturf day for them. Tear out that pesky grass for a day and lay down the turf. I see 19.5% that agree with the idea. 6.3% of the population has diabetes - why don’t we have a sugar free section.

Personally, I will be sitting the the normal-average-american-who-is-tired-of-having-to-bend-over-backwards-for-everybody-else. Of course it will be a tiny section in the cheap seats while the kids with the obscure allergies will be in row 2 right behind the section for people afraid of Fredbird.

Actually, the normal-average-American could probably care less whether there is a peanut-free zone. The normal-average-American is incapable of sitting in two different seats/sections at once, and most would prefer to watch a ball game rather than complain about the mere existance of a peanut-free zone.

The stadium is already sugar free, provided you don’t eat the sugar. The issue with peanuts isn’t just consumption, it’s exposure. It’s not a valid comparison.

It’s funny to me how many people ignorant of what it really means to be allergic to peanuts - it’s life-threatening in severe cases, folks, and you don’t have to eat peanuts or even touch them to have a deadly reaction - to something merely annoying, like someone wearing too much perfume, or being allergic to cats. It’s more than apples to oranges, the two are so different that it is apples to corn dogs.
I am all for the peanut free days and zone. I just won’t be sitting in it.

Still, I admit I was surprised by the number of posters with peanut-allergic children who say they risked bringing their child to the ballpark prior to this rule. I know ballgames are fun and a big part of childhood, but everyone knows the place is awash in peanut dust. I understand about not wanting to raise a kid in a bubble, but it was eye-opening to me that people would even chance it just to see Izzy lose another lead for us. Ballparks = peanuts, even more so than lunchrooms full of kids each with a PB & J-containing lunchbox or bag.

Hopefully, this new zone will help these parents take their kids to see a ballgame without wondering or worrying they will be near a legume muncher. Let’s share the ballpark, peanut lovers!

What about sunflower seeds can I still have my seeds or are these salty little gems outlawed also?

“What about sunflower seeds can I still have my seeds or are these salty little gems outlawed also?”

What did you miss that episode of Sesame Steet? Psst..sunflower seeds are NOT peanuts.

Sorry, I don’t buy that peanuts are a special case. Anaphalaxis is anaphalaxis, regardless of the cause. It’s just another form of shock to the system. What is strange here are the number of people who say their kids are allegic to peanuts and tree nuts. Peanut are legumes. Tree nuts are tree nuts. They aren’t related to each other except that they both are plants.

I would be curious to see if the kids are allergic to peanut plants, oaks, pine trees (they have nuts, too) black walnut, hickory or pecan trees or their raw nuts, or just the processed variety. Unfortunately, there is only one way to test that, and most parents wouldn’t agree to it. I also wonder if the propensity for keeping little Jacob and Megan inside and never exposing them (as wee infants) to the outside is part of this problem. Is there a big peanut allergy problem in peanut growing areas? Another interesting concept. What pesticides are used on peanuts and tree nuts? They likely would be concentrated in the nuts.

As far as people who claim their allergy is special, last time I looked, not being able to breathe, for whatever reason, is life threatening.

I think this is BS….if you have that much of an allergy to something, stay home and watch it on TV. Don’t ruin it for 35,000 other fans because of your sensitivity.

Theresa,
You keep making the same stupid points (are points really points if they aren’t valid?) over & over… but just sound more & more dumb each time.
What I’ve read on these comments is that parents are saying their kids have peanuts AND treenuts == meaning, they have both kinds of allergies (kinda like a person who has an egg allergy plus a dog allergy).
You clearly don’t have a life, you just keep posting crap that makes no sense & blah, blah, blah, it always comes back to you.
I could, along with the other people who have tried, try to argue some of these confusing thoughts you’ve posted, but really, I think you’re bored & are wanting to just argue yourself.
Will you leave these people alone if we give you a special seat?
PLEASE save the space on this page for people who have interesting & authentic comments.
Go Cards,
Gil

I don’t get some of you people…
Like “Dr Love” (ironic name), How is it ruining it for the “35,000″ fans?? They don’t have to sit in the peanut-free section!
And, an allergy that can make a person die is not a ’sensitivity’…
Have you read the previous 137 comments??
Why all the whining from the non-allergic, non-understanding peeps?? No one is ruining your game; it’s ONE section, ONE game, how is that hurting you?
I don’t have peanut allergy or a child with one but I can understand their concerns! And to the people who have issue with this, I don’t get the problem.
My momma used to always say, ‘Quit crying or I’ll give you something to cry about.’….maybe the Cards should ban peanuts in the whole park, then you’d really be crying your giant tears on your big pillow. Big babies.
Let these kids have ONE game in ONE section, sheesh.

Today I was at a training where the concept of “empathy deficiency syndrome” was brought up as a new field of research. I referred the audience to this particular thread as a shining example of such.

As a mother of two peanut allergic children (admitted into the hospital 2X), I see this small step of action the stadium is taking as a huge relief. We attended a game recently and I could not relax. I wiped the chairs multiple times and made sure we cleaned our hands often. Still my children were very aware of the dangers that were only three seats in front of us. Needless to say, I never watched the game. My eyes were glued on the people around me and what they were eating making sure nothing was thrown our way.

One small section that is away from an overhang would be the safest place for children like mine and others. We would never want to tell people what to eat, we just want to be safe and enjoy a true American game of baseball. Peanut allergy falls under the disability act and should be accomodated, even if just a section for certian games. We are happy to take what ever safety net we can get.

I pray that other citizens will educate themselves on how dangerous peanuts can be for some kids. You never know when your child, grandchild or great grandchild will be diagnosed. The numbers are only going up at an alarming rate.

Thanks for your help Cards and Rascals

Are people getting that nuts about having a peanuts free zone? What goofy Cardinal PR. Whats next to give up or accommodate someone’s wants? Listen, it’s bad some have a allergic reaction to nuts. But as we all know, it’s going to grow into more special sections. Why don’t they all get together and get a party room to really isolate the peanut dust? Here’s a quote May 29, 2008 in the Post Dispatch from Liz Hairopoulos of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s St. Louis chapter,”Inhalation of peanut particles would be enough to cause a life-threatening reaction.” So a parent would take a child to a game and endanger them? How are they going to protect them when people all around the stadium are eating them, like in the walkways where the air is more confined. Sorry, but it’s nuts to be no nuts.

I can’t believe some of the comments on here. The lack of education is one thing, but some posters appear to have below average inteligence (yet they know how to use the internet? Way to go! Must have been a big step for you!)

What I want to know is when will we have to stop catering to the stupid?! Why do we need their approval for something that doesn’t really affect them. (Unless the game is sold out and/or you were just dying to sit in that particular section, why does it matter to you?)

My daughter does not live in a bubble (and trust me, dirt is a big part of our life). She has a host of allergies she inherited from her daddy. My older daughter has no allergies. I ate the same things during both pregnancies, and they both had the same vaccines (in fact, it was obvious she was allergic from the time she was 1 week old, so vaccines were never suspected).

You didn’t hear about allergies before because it wasn’t really talked about. Even doctors were poorly educated about this subject 30 years ago. I didn’t know my husband had allergies for the first month we were dating because it didn’t come up.

30 years ago people didn’t use seatbelts, today they go as far as having dog harness contraptions in cars because they’re better educated. Is this going to far? Probably, but the extra effort is worth it to reduce the already low risk of an injury (or death) of someone they love.

These days, people (read parents) are better educated about the dangers and risks of food allergies so they are more vocal about them and advocate for their children. The risks of death are pretty small if allergies are well managed, so if I see you or your kid eating a peanut treat at the playground off to the side and cleaning up after yourself, you’ll never know my daughter has allergies, but if your kid runs around with it and touches everything, you better belive I’ll let you know. Not because I want to inconvenience you (frankly, I’m inconvenienced by having to talk to you in the first place), but because I’m trying to ensure my daughter has a good time and lives to see another day.

One of the most popular themes with the anti peanut-free zone crowd seems to be the argument that if an accomodation is made here, the accomodations will never end. Try making the argument without using an illogical slippery slope.

You are hardly “bending over backwards” for these people. You don’t own the stadium. You can’t sit in two seats at once. You aren’t being charged more than the peanut-free people. You don’t have to clean up their area or yours. They don’t impede your line of sight. You can have all the peanuts you want, provided it’s not in their section.

You haven’t made an accomodation, the Cards have. If it so offends you, why don’t YOU stay home?

If you can’t tone your rage down from a roiling boil to a manageable simmer, do the rest of us a favor and announce your presence at the next game you attend. Some of us might prefer to sit next to the people afraid of Fredbird.

This whole thing is stupid and over the top. I am a vegetarian so I don’t go to the bar-b-que place and whine or demand a no meat dinner. I eat at other places. If you are allergic to things common to the ball park-stay home and watch the game on tv!

I do feel for the people with severe allergies but there comes a point when we need to stop making ridiculous accomodations for every little thing. Whats next, you are going to demand the tours at the Planter’s Nuts factory be peanut safe?!?! Stop being selfish and take responsibility for your own life and health and stop infringing on everyone else.

Being a vegetarian is a choice and NOT life-threatening. However, if you would like to use your example: Imagine ALL restaurants served only messy meat and offered no choice and if you went to the restaurant and came into contact with the meat, you could DIE, or at a minimum, break out in hives and/or your throat start to swell shut, get a shot of epinephrine and you would have to go to the ER. So you started to avoid ALL restaurants because of the risk. Now imagine that one restaurant opened up a meat free section in the place with about 5 seats and also gave you a choice of salad on their menu. Would you not be thrilled? Would you not have missed going to restaurants? Is that wrong for the restaurant to do because they may get more people coming to their restaurant?

Give me a break…we are talking about 120 seats in the entire stadium that WERE NOT SOLD! No one is going to be inconvienced or have their peanuts snatched out of their hands if they sit in the section! It’s group seating people, we’re choosing to sit there! Tell me what other group is not being accommodated at a ballpark, who can’t attend because it could be LIFE-THREATENING!!!! People in wheel chairs can attend, people who are hearing impaired and blind can attend, people with cancer can attend, people with diabetes can attend, people who are overweight can attend, people who are allergic to sun can attend; AND NONE OF THESE ISSUES CAN BE LIFE THREATENING BECAUSE OF THE ACTUAL BALLPARK! The peanut mess at ALL ballparks is the one thing keeping this small population of families out of stadiums, and if the stadiums want to accommodate 118 seats, clean them thoroughly, put up signs and call them peanut safe, so be it!! Good for them!! The people who are allergic to inhaling peanut dust STILL won’t attend because it could kill them! However, it will allow a few more families the ability to enjoy a live, right in front of them, all American past time. They may even catch a foul ball!!! Come on people, really? This is really that big of an infringement on your lives? How? Who are the ones being selfish? You can’t possibly SHARE the stadium’s empty seats with a group of children who can’t have peanuts who may have never been to a ballgame? Really?
GO CARDS! GO RASCALS!

Wow, I cannot get over the amount of uneducated, heartless individuals who have posted on this site. It is really sad that so many people are peeved that I want my 3 year old to attend a Cards game without the risk of dying from his severe peanut allergy. How is one single section of the stadium really going to negatively affect you? It won’t! So why so many ticked of folks? God forbid any of you ever have a near death experience (as my child did last July) or require the dependence of accomodations! Until you have walked in my shoes (or any other person suffering directly or indirectly from severe food allergies) don’t be so quick to judge! And for the record, don’t you think if food allergies were cured or even curbed by a magic shot or therapy, people would be requesting a peanut free zone? There is nothing like that available (at least not for the level of severity my kid has). Think and become truly educated on a topic before you go blowing steam about it.

Thank you Cards and Rascals for making such accomodations!! You have my loyalty and business!

I can’t believe all of the heartless people here that aren’t willing to treat me special. I deserve to be treated special and you deserve to honor me. It’s my world and you’re just living in it. So pay me!

Scam-
That makes no sense. How are we asking you to treat our kids special. By not purchasing tickets in a peanut free section? WOW! We sure are asking a LOT seeing as you only have 46,741 seats left to chose from! Whatever!

I will pray that everyone will feel real love for their children and loved ones. A love that involves keeping them protected when aimed guns are pointed at their heads, a threat to their whole life. That smoking gun is the peanut to us. Children deserve an option to go to ONE (in a small section) baseball game and for those of you who don’t know, peanut allergies can range from non life threatening to death. Even the reaction can be different each time. How do we find out where our kids are on that scale and how they will react? You got it, we don’t want to know, we don’t test it out for fun, we protect them at all costs. Even if it means you slander us and poke fun. If that is what you need to do to feel better, have at it. We are the educated ones, the caring ones and want only what our right as American, FREEDOM! Freedom to see another day, freedom of speech, freedom to pray. I pray there is a cure someday so we can see our girls grow up and enjoy these freedoms.

The problem with the peanut allergy is it can be very dangerous. It seems that more and more people are affected with this allergy. My son who is 19 months has a peanut allergy. We did go to our first baseball game the other day, and our seats where in a peanut area. I do carry around his prescription which is an Epipen. This is a shot that is given if he is having an allergic reaction as far as breathing is concerned. If given he must go to emergency room immediately. It was somewhat hard to enjoy the game due to being extra cautious of our surroundings. The way I see it is we have smoke free sections, and we have handicap availability. Why should we not have peanut free, because it does potentially put someone’s health at risk? I am not saying everyone should suffer without peanuts, because believe me I do enjoy them! We do however need to be aware of such potential health hazards.

I want to start by saying that I applaud those who are advocates for their children’s rights! Not one of us ever wanted our children to have life threatening allergies/asthma, but we do. And it is our responsibility to ensure our children have the same opportunities as all children. Our children can do many things that other children can and cannot do, BUT they cannot eat or be exposed the same foods as other children. Trust me, there isn’t a parent on this post or anywhere else who wouldn’t trade anything to not have a child with this or any allergy.

My son is an avid little league baseball player. His wish is to see a major league game. I live in Pennsylvania and have contacted the Phillies, Pirates, Mets, Yankees and Red Sox about a peanut free area. Guess what? They are sorry that they do not have any available. Those who complain about a few seats being set aside, I would invite you to stand next to me as I have to tell my son that he cannot have a childhood dream fulfilled. As a father, there are no soothing words that can comfort him to make his tears go away. Would I gladly travel to St. Louis to watch a game with my son in an environment where I know it won’t be deadly? Yes. I wish other ballparks would commit to similar accomodations.

To those who do not understand the magnitude of this allergy, I do not wish it upon you or anyone you know. Do not judge until you have been fully educated. As a parent I am still learning, but I will for the benefit of my child. I have to. He is my son and I have to stand up for his rights. Thank you.