BEST PEANUT ALLERGY FRIENDLY TEAMS IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

I had never heard the term “anaphylactic shock” until the day my daughter suffered from it and I find myself in a hospital emergency room not knowing if she might live or die.  Since that day, anaphylactic shock is something that is on my mind everyday as the parent of a young daughter who has to watch everything she eats and comes in contact with to avoid the peanut and tree nut proteins that trigger a deadly allergic reaction.  Now because of the risk of contact and contamination things that we used to do regularly aren’t as easy to do anymore like eating at a restaurant, going  out to get ice cream, and going to a baseball game.

This Mothers Day we’ll be spending the afternoon at Comerica Park watching the Detroit Tigers play the Cleveland Indians.  We’re big Tigers baseball fans, but the reason we are going to the game on Mother’s Day is that it is one of ONLY 2 games the Detroit Tigers offer a peanut friendly environment for our little girl.  We’ll be sitting in a suite designated for people with peanut and tree nut allergies that have been scrubbed down and cleaned for allergens and where peanuts and other risky food items are banned during the game.  It’s a great opportunity to enjoy a day at a ballpark with my whole family and not feel insure about my daughter’s safety.  

I appreciate that the Detroit Tigers make an effort to reach out to families dealing with food allergies and give them the chance to enjoy a day at the ballpark to cheer on their favorite team and see the players perform live on the field; especially when many Major League clubs provide absolutely no options for people with food allergy issues to attend a game.  On the other hand, the Tigers option is still very disappointing for a family of diehard fans (before our twins were born my wife & I went to several games a month and were considering season tickets) because of the limited options on games to attend and it is VERY EXPENSIVE (it costs more than $250 dollars just for four tickets to the peanut allergy friendly suite which does NOT include cost of food, parking, and souvenirs at the game). This will be our third time enjoying the suite at a Tigers game which is a fun and enjoyable time for our family, but it sure is an expensive day out on the town for us.

Mothers Day is also the first day of Food Allergy Awareness Week, so in recognition of that and our upcoming road trip to a Detroit Tigers game I’ve decided now would be a good time to provide a list of the best peanut allergy friendly teams in Major League Baseball.

#1  BOSTON RED SOX

The Red Sox have a designated area in the stands available as peanut allergy friendly zone for 5 dates this season.  The designated section on the Right Field Roof Terrace has 70 seats available to fans.  The seating area is inspected and cleaned prior to the game and the sale of any nut products are banned on and near the Right Field Terrace during the game.  Signs are posted surrounding the access points to the area alerting people it is a “Peanut Allergy Friendly” zone. There is also extra security, EMS, and team ambassadors assigned to the area during the game to assist with trouble shooting and to provide assistance in case a medical emergency arises.

Tickets to the peanut allergy friendly zone at Fenway Park are $50 each.  In addition to your seats for the game and the peanut allergy  friendly steps taken by the team, the admission price also includes a goody bag, a half inning visit by team mascot Wally the Green Monster, and a scoreboard message during the game: “The Boston Red Sox Welcome  Our Peanut Allergy Families to Fenway Park.”

The Peanut Friendly Games for 2013 are:

June 8 vs Los Angeles Angels

July 20 vs the New York Yankees

August 3 vs Arizona Diamondbacks

August 31 vs The Chicago White Sox

& the Futures at Fenway game on July 27

Additionally, for one game at each home stand for the Red Sox, Booth F on the Media Level will be available for people with peanut allergies.  The booth can hold up to six people and tickets are $55 each.  The booth is cleaned prior to the game to avoid contamination issues and is free of nut products during the game.

This is the 9^th year the Boston Red Sox have provided peanut allergy friendly options to its fans and many of the things they are doing are based on the results of surveys they receive from attendees each year.  It is great they are asking the food allergy community for guidance and taking actions based upon the feedback they are given.

#2 MINESSOTA TWINS

Unfortunately, it can be very hard to find information about peanut allergy friendly arrangements at Major League stadiums, even for the teams that provide services addressing food allergies.  The Twinshave the best online presence promoting their Peanut Allergy Friendly games making it very easy to find due to its partnership with the Anaphylaxis &Food Allergy Association.  The team will be offering 10 special dates at Target Field for fans who suffer from peanut allergies. The Twins private balconies located above left field will be a “peanut free zone”. Tickets range from $18 – 24 dollars. 

2013 games are:

April 28 vs Rangers

May 12 vs the Orioles

May 14 vs White Sox

June 2 vs Mariners

June 11 vs Phillies

July 30 vs Royals

August 4 vs Astros

August 27 vs Royals

September 8 vs Blue Jays

September 15 vs Rays

#3 SEATTLE MARINERS

The Mariners get the nod for providing the best price for a peanut friendly allergy event.  For $11 dollars you can buy seats in designated sections of Safeco Field for 4 games this season that individuals and families who live with severe peanut allergies can attend with a reduced risk of exposure to allergens.  No peanuts are allowed in the reserved sections and about 200 seats are available for each game. Seattle also gets a nod for making this information easy to find on their website!

The 2013 peanut allergy friendly games at Safeco Field are:

April 28 vs Los Angeles Angels

June 25 vs Pittsburg Pirates

July 26 vs Minnesota Twins

August 27 vs Texas Rangers

#4 CHICAGO WHITE SOX

The Chicago White Sox are holding NUT ALLERGY AWARENESS GAMES where they have a special designated area in the club level for anybody with a nut allergy to enjoy the ball game along with their family and friends.  No nuts or anything containing nuts will be allowed in the special seating area.  There will also be a special food table in the area featuring foods that do not contain nut products.  There will also be food options for people with milk and egg allergies.  Tickets are specially priced for attendees and each family that purchases tickets will be eligible to win 1 of 2 autographed White Sox items during the game.

#5 TORONTO BLUE JAYS

The Blue Jays are the only team from my recent listing of Best Kids Clubs in MajorLeague Baseball to make this ranking.  The Blue Jays provide a peanut free zone similar to the other teams noted in this list, but they doubled the number of games they are hosting it this year from what they did last year.  They were marked down a notch though because all of the games are during the week – come on Blue Jays working parents need some weekend games.  Their ongoing effort and commitment to providing an affordable peanut friendly environment is appreciated and that is why they are at #5 on the list.

The Blue Jays games this year are:

April 30 vs Boston

May 14 vs San Fransico

June 17 vs  Colorado

July 19 vs Tampa Bay

August 27 vs Yankees

Sept 10 vs Angels

HONORABLE MENTION:

Atlanta Braves are having a Food Allergy Friendly Game on June 2 which should be a matchup of two of the best teams in Major League Baseball as they face off against the Washington Nationals.  The Braves have partnered with Mylan Specialty to provide two sections where exposure to peanut fragments will be limited.  Tickets are $35 and include a seat in peanut-free Club Pavilion as well as $10 food and beverage credit.  Special parking arrangements can be made for $10  that provide straight access to the peanut-free section of the ball park.

Pittsburg Pirates are also partnering with Mylan Specialty to host a peanut friendly event.  Allergy Awareness Night at PNCPark on Friday, May 31 will provide a peanut free zone in the reserved deck for fans.  Tickets are $20 and addition to your seat include a $10 credit to use for food or souvenirs.  The Pirates will also be providing tips throughout the game to help ALL fans be more aware of life-threatening allergic reactions.

Detroit Tigers, as I mentioned before the Tigers host a peanut allergy friendly suite a few times a year that allows my family to attend games.  Some other teams that provide suites on specific dates for peanut/tree nut allergy fans are the Baltimore Orioles, NewYork Mets, New York Yankees, and Washington Nationals.  Suite tickets depending on the team and date can range from $20 to $100 per person.

For more information on baseball games that provide peanut allergy friendly options check out these two great resource websites:

http://foodallergyfoundation.org/events/food_allergy_baseball_2013

&

http://www.peanutfreebaseball.com/