Like the human race it is supposed to protect, sports netting began its evolution in the sea.
"The Japanese discovered that the trawling nets used in the fishing industry could also be used as golf range netting," said Dan Oliver, president of NET Systems on Bainbridge Island, Washington. "From there, the uses expanded and the technology became better and better."
The main focus of NET Systems is fishing, but three years ago, it began to provide Promats Athletics, a sports installation company in Salisbury, North Carolina, with protective nets made of Dyneema, a Dutch-made polyethelene fiber so strong that it is used in body armor.
The current state of the art is Ultra Cross Knotless Dyneema, which provides greater strength and more visibility than previous Dyneema nets. It used to be that the nets were white and had to be coated in black latex paint because black was a less obtrusive color. Now the braided fibers themselves are black, and that, says Oliver, "is a game-changer."
So is MLB's recommendation that ballparks expand protective netting to at least the near side of each dugout. Promats is handling the installation for five major league parks and providing the netting for three others.
Before the screens went up, though, the netting was tested at Innovative Test Solutions, a third-party engineering laboratory in Schenectady, New York. "We often do aeronautical testing, like critical engine parts," said Lou Fiorini, the director of operations. "So this was a fun change of pace."
Among the many testing procedures was constant firing at the nets from pitching machines at close range. "It did make me realize just why the netting is needed," Fiorini said.