<p>UCBCEG - yes, the issue is ball players flipping over the fence and landing on their heads. Doubleplay raised the issue with regard to high school players falling over short foul line fences (which I haven’t seen; all the high school ball fields around here are either circled by 12’ high fences, or have wide foul areas) and I related that to my experience years ago in Little League. You’re right about the size of the players, but you underestimate the nature of the problem. An outfielder chasing a long fly ball will be reaching up, and often jumping up to catch the ball. I’ve seen them flip over the top of the fence and land on their heads - it’s scary. Little League tournament rules do require fences between 4 and 6 feet, but I don’t think that’s mandatory for regular play. (Little League has a plethora of safety rules. I don’t agree with all of them, although I agree with the principle.) </p>
<p>And while this has strayed somewhat from the OP, I do think that we’re still sort of on-topic. My point is that everyone has responsibility and accountability for things that are under their control, and should be accountable for loss, injury or damage which occurs to others because of bad judgment or carelessness on their part. And that includes ballfield designers, coaches, and school administrators who don’t think through the predictable consequences of their decisions and actions.</p>