MILWAUKEE – Flash back to childhood for just a minute. For many, the most lasting memories of days gone by have come at a ballpark. Now imagine if those experiences never would have happened because of something that was out of your control
That's the plight thousands of children – or even adults – with peanut allergies face. At ballparks, peanuts are everywhere. The risk of exposure far outweighs the reward of going to a baseball game. A 2010 study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed peanut allergies in children tripled between 1997 and 2008. By 2008, 2.1 percent of children had some sort of peanut or tree nut allergy.
Influenced by letters, the Milwaukee Brewers were strongly considering doing something to remedy the situation. But it wasn't until one letter came from a local sixth-grader that they took action.
"The letter struck a chord with me and others in the organization," Brewers chief operating officer Rick Schlesinger said. "I got a group together of all the operations people and I said ‘Is there a way to make this happen?' "
The Brewers set up three dates to have two peanut-controlled sections at Miller Park in 2012. Careful to not call the sections peanut-free, the team sold out the areas for all three dates and had a long waiting list.
This season, the Brewers have decided to expand the idea to six dates and expect all six to sell out. Logistically, it isn't easy to set up the sections, but to the Brewers it's worth it. The dates are strategically picked to come after the team has had a day off or been away on a road trip. This ensures there will be time for the sections and adjacent sections to be power-washed, thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
The specific sections are picked for a reason, as well. Because of limited access to suite guests and specific ticket holders, the right field side of the club level was chosen as the location for the peanut-controlled areas. The Brewers don't sell peanuts at the concession stands near the sections and don't vend peanuts in the area.
Ushers are trained to be on the lookout for fans with peanuts coming near the sections – 306 and 307 -- and will relocate guests who want to eat peanuts at the games.
"I always like to tell parents that it's really intended for fans that have mild allergies," Schlesinger said. "If somebody has a severe peanut allergy, I defer to the parents as to where they go and where they take their children because you just can't be completely free."
Dr. Mitchell Grayson, a pediatric allergist at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and an associate professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin, believes the precautions the Brewers have taken with the peanut-controlled sections are enough for parents to feel comfortable bringing their kids to Miller Park.
According to Grayson, the biggest risk of triggering the peanut allergy comes from accidental ingestion of peanuts.
"Most food allergies, peanuts included, the problem is actually ingestion, much more so than inhaling and having on the skin," Grayson said. "Having said that, the likelihood of having a reaction if you were just sitting in a large stadium where other people are eating peanuts is pretty low, actually.
"When we talk about the peanut-controlled sections, the risk, and again it's a theoretical risk, would be that somebody is allergic and they put their soda down or there are peanuts and peanut shells on the ground," Grayson said. "When they touch the peanut shells and they pick up their brat and eat the brat, then they have peanuts they are ingesting. That's why the peanut-controlled zones are nice because then you know nobody in that area has peanuts."
Schlesinger estimated the Brewers were roughly the fifth or sixth Major League Baseball team to implement some sort of peanut-controlled area. The organization was able to consult and call other teams for tips and advice on how to go about starting and running the sections.
Since the Brewers put their plan into action, the number of teams doing similar things is up to 10 and is growing.
"It's a growing trend," Schlesinger said. "We get calls from other teams asking for other teams asking how we do it and how we deal with the cleaning component. I suspect before a few years, given the amount of kids with peanut allergies that most teams are going to find a way to accommodate the fans who need to come to the games but are afraid to because of a peanut allergy."
Though plenty of work goes into setting up and maintaining the peanut-controlled sections, the Brewers are reminded why they are doing it each time they get a letter from a parent thanking them for providing their kids with an opportunity to experience a baseball game and forget about their uncontrollable allergy for a few hours.
"You don't even realize (the importance) until you have a parent that has a son or daughter that has a peanut allergy and is a baseball fan and you can't bring him the ballpark," Schlesinger said. "To me, that's a part of childhood. Part of the childhood experience from my view is going to Brewers' games. If you are prevented because of an allergy that you have no responsibility for, we want to be able to say come to the ballpark and do all we can to make it a great experience."
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