# Can lightning strike a player on the field in a sports stadium... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 26, 2014, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600 "2014-03-26T13:39:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600/21 "2014-03-27T13:07:53Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > “At least as high” is not a difficult estimation to make when not in possession of extensive statistical data of your “actual probability”. I’ll bet that every day, you make dozens of choices “without any discussion of the actual probability” of the outcome of your decisions. I don’t pretend to be making a calculated analysis of the risk. “The risk is just as high” =/= “I’m not worried about it.” ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600/22 "2014-03-27T13:22:14Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > People want to predict what lightning will do? Have at it. I’ll be inside. I’ll be inside with you. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600/23 "2014-03-27T15:39:03Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > People want to predict what lightning will do? Have at it. I’ll be inside. > [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > I’ll be inside with you. Sounds like a plan. You like hot chocolate? That always strikes me as a good beverage for a lightning storm. I do prefer using peeps instead of marshmallows, though! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600/24 "2014-03-27T16:14:48Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > I do prefer using peeps instead of marshmallows, though! 😃 This might be the best idea I’ve heard all year. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600/25 "2014-03-27T16:15:31Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I don’t pretend to be making a calculated analysis of the risk. “The risk is just as high” =/= “I’m not worried about it.” You got my point. I’m not worried about it. I’ve walked around outdoors in hundreds of thunderstorms with lightning. One-in-a-million and two-in-a-millioin are not worth differentiating, nor precisely calculating, nor altering my lifestyle for. Can all the molecules of air in this room rush into a corner and leave me suffocated? Yes, but Im not going to change my lifestyle with that risk involved. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600/26 "2014-03-27T16:40:39Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > People want to predict what lightning will do? Have at it. I’ll be inside. > [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > I’ll be inside with you. will that be on a tall wooden stool? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600/27 "2014-03-27T16:50:45Z")
safety recommendations are that if you can hear thunder then you can be hit by lightning, as mentioned it has gone through miles of low conductive air, it can do anything it wants. it does split and go to as many places it needs to in order to dissipate. if you had a mixed material pile of soil and pour a bucket of water on the top you will see behavior similar to lightning. the stream will split, the splits will be uneven, some paths will be blocked from further travel. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600/28 "2014-03-27T19:24:06Z")
A lightning strike that just traveled through miles of empty air is not impressed by rules, theories, or 45 degree cones of protection. Yes, athletes have been struck and killed in fields surrounded by light towers; spectators, too. Golfers, surrounded by tall trees, have died. Will it happen to you? The odds say no. The likelihood of being struck and killed by lightning is a traditional example of very long odds. We all must strike a balance between fear and good sense. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600/29 "2014-03-27T19:24:08Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > People want to predict what lightning will do? Have at it. I’ll be inside. Be sure to unplug your computer too. The Straight Dope Message Board can wait. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600/30 "2014-03-27T22:03:52Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Sounds like a plan. You like hot chocolate? That always strikes me as a good beverage for a lightning storm. I do prefer using peeps instead of marshmallows, though! 😃 > [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > This might be the best idea I’ve heard all year. You haven’t tried it? You don’t know what you’re missing. It’s more than just the taste; there’s the joy of drowning the bugger in a scolding hot liquid! Now’s the time to stock up too! You can freeze them. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600/31 "2014-03-28T05:06:29Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > Yes, athletes have been struck and killed in fields surrounded by light towers; spectators, too. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Nippless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/df788c/32.png) [@Nippless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nippless)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600/32 "2014-03-28T07:39:12Z")
> [@bldysabba](#): > > Cite? > **[Lightning kills two soccer players, wounds another in Texas](https://www.nydailynews.com/2012/07/16/lightning-kills-two-soccer-players-wounds-another-in-texas/)** > > Two soccer players were killed and one was injured in a lightning storm that struck an athletic field in north Houston Sunday just after noon. Several hundred players and patrons had gathered at La… > **[One Spectator Killed, Five Hurt by Lightning](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-06-14-sp-568-story.html)** > > One spectator was killed and five others were injured Thursday when they were struck by lightning during the U.S. > **[One Killed, Nine Injured After Lightning Strike At NASCAR Pocono Race](https://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2012/8/5/3222108/nascar-fans-injured-lightning-strike-pocono-raceway-2012)** > > A lightning strike shortly after the conclusion of Sunday's Pocono race left one person dead and nine others hospitalized. > **[PGA CHAMPIONSHIP : Another Spectator Killed by Lightning](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-08-09-sp-253-story.html)** > > A 39-year-old Indiana man was struck and killed by lightning Thursday during the first round of the PGA Championship, the second lightning fatality involving a spectator at one of golf's major tournaments this summer. Many more out there… Try Google some time, it’s quite good at things like this. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600/33 "2014-03-28T13:34:30Z")
> [@Nippless](#): > > [Lightning kills two soccer players, wounds another in Texas – New York Daily News](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/lightning-kills-soccer-players-wounds-texas-article-1.1115306) > > [One Spectator Killed, Five Hurt by Lightning](http://articles.latimes.com/1991-06-14/sports/sp-568_1_spectator-killed) > > [One Killed, Nine Injured After Lightning Strike At NASCAR Pocono Race - SBNation.com](http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2012/8/5/3222108/nascar-fans-injured-lightning-strike-pocono-raceway-2012) > > [PGA CHAMPIONSHIP : Another Spectator Killed by Lightning](http://articles.latimes.com/1991-08-09/sports/sp-253_1_pga-championship) > > Many more out there… > Try Google some time, it’s quite good at things like this. I have tried Google, and not found a single instance of lightning striking someone in a stadium that has light towers around it. Nor is a single one of the links you’ve provided the cite I asked for. Try reading what you’re responding to before being sarcastic next time. It’s quite good practice in general. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600/34 "2014-03-28T14:03:11Z")
> [@bldysabba](#): > > I have tried Google, and not found a single instance of lightning striking someone in a stadium that has light towers around it. That is a ridiculous standard of evidence. I have not found a single verifiable instance of a lottery winner who purchased their ticket while shopping for a quart of milk, a six-pack of beer, 2 loaves of rye bread, and 3 apples. Therefore, obviously, it is impossible to win the lottery if you purchase a ticket while grocery shopping. No, wait…let’s think about that again. As repeatedly mentioned (and demonstrated) above, there are a number of problems with your implication, at which you have chosen to wave your hands as if they were of no import. In the case of a sporting event, they are not irrelevant at all, even in this particular case: 1. The presence of tall objects will only, at best, slightly mitigate the risk of a lightning strike. The proximity of tall objects does NOT eliminate those risks (see above for several examples of this). Lightning can and has struck the ground next to tall objects. Whether or not they are “light towers” or not is immaterial. 2. Direct lightning strikes are not the only danger during a lightning storm. Mere proximity to a lightning strike can be hazardous, with (again see above for several examples of this) chances of injury due to the electricity, hearing damage from thunder, or concussive damage from the strike. 3. Even in “safe” environments, like indoors (again, see above for examples), lightning strikes can and have been known to kill people. The bottom line, as repeatedly stated in this thread, is that the risk of lightning is not eliminated in a stadium like this. It’s not materially safer than a stadium without such towers. The players’ concerns were as legitimate in this stadium as in any other stadium. Clear skies? Well, they’d be wrong. But audible thunder and lightning in the area? Yes, there’s an enhanced risk of injury. So, why choose to ignore those enhanced risks? It makes no sense. Even if indoors is not absolutely safe (nothing really is), it’s much, much better than on an open pitch. So, why harp repeatedly on the fact that a verifiable case of a specific lightning circumstance can’t be found? I haven’t found a single verifiable case of a lottery winner who was exactly 53 years old, 2 months, and 15 days old, male, 6 foot tall, and hopping on one foot while purchasing their ticket. That doesn’t make those factors relevant to winning the lottery, no matter if I have a crackpot theory that says they affect the result. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600/35 "2014-03-28T14:21:47Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > That is a ridiculous standard of evidence. > > I have not found a single verifiable instance of a lottery winner who purchased their ticket while shopping for a quart of milk, a six-pack of beer, 2 loaves of rye bread, and 3 apples. > > Therefore, obviously, it is impossible to win the lottery if you purchase a ticket while grocery shopping. > > No, wait…let’s think about that again. > > As repeatedly mentioned (and demonstrated) above, there are a number of problems with your implication, at which you have chosen to wave your hands as if they were of no import. In the case of a sporting event, they are not irrelevant at all, even in this particular case: > > 1. The presence of tall objects will only, at best, slightly mitigate the risk of a lightning strike. The proximity of tall objects does NOT eliminate those risks (see above for several examples of this). Lightning can and has struck the ground next to tall objects. Whether or not they are “light towers” or not is immaterial. > > 2. Direct lightning strikes are not the only danger during a lightning storm. Mere proximity to a lightning strike can be hazardous, with (again see above for several examples of this) chances of injury due to the electricity, hearing damage from thunder, or concussive damage from the strike. > > 3. Even in “safe” environments, like indoors (again, see above for examples), lightning strikes can and have been known to kill people. > > The bottom line, as repeatedly stated in this thread, is that the risk of lightning is not eliminated in a stadium like this. It’s not materially safer than a stadium without such towers. The players’ concerns were as legitimate in this stadium as in any other stadium. Clear skies? Well, they’d be wrong. But audible thunder and lightning in the area? Yes, there’s an enhanced risk of injury. So, why choose to ignore those enhanced risks? It makes no sense. Even if indoors is not absolutely safe (nothing really is), it’s much, much better than on an open pitch. > > So, why harp repeatedly on the fact that a verifiable case of a specific lightning circumstance can’t be found? I haven’t found a single verifiable case of a lottery winner who was exactly 53 years old, 2 months, and 15 days old, male, 6 foot tall, and hopping on one foot while purchasing their ticket. That doesn’t make those factors relevant to winning the lottery, no matter if I have a crackpot theory that says they affect the result. Dude, the claim made was “Yes, athletes have been struck and killed in fields surrounded by light towers; spectators, too.”. I asked for a cite. Your post is pointless. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600/36 "2014-03-28T14:26:53Z")
The spectator referenced in my link in Post 15 was struck by lightning at [RFK Stadium](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RFK_Stadium_aerial_photo,_looking_towards_Capitol,_1988.jpg) in Washington, DC, which is surrounded by elevated lighting. She wasn’t killed though. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600/37 "2014-03-28T14:30:04Z")
> [@bldysabba](#): > > I asked for a cite. Your post is pointless. Against that particular request, yes. Not for the question you originally posed about the danger lightning posed in the stadium. The answer: no significant mitigation of risk by the light towers. So, no, not pointless, except to an overly specific request. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600/38 "2014-03-28T14:48:37Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Against that particular request, yes. Not for the question you originally posed about the danger lightning posed in the stadium. The answer: no significant mitigation of risk by the light towers. > > So, no, not pointless, except to an overly specific request. But I _was_ asking for a cite for a very specific claim, and the thrust of your needlessly combative post was that I had some ridiculous standard of evidence. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600/39 "2014-03-28T14:50:23Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > The spectator referenced in my link in Post 15 was struck by lightning at [RFK Stadium](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RFK_Stadium_aerial_photo,_looking_towards_Capitol,_1988.jpg) in Washington, DC, which is surrounded by elevated lighting. She wasn’t killed though. Thanks, I’d missed that link earlier. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600/40 "2014-03-28T14:56:29Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Against that particular request, yes. Not for the question you originally posed about the danger lightning posed in the stadium. The answer: no significant mitigation of risk by the light towers. > > So, no, not pointless, except to an overly specific request. To expand - I have no problem with accepting the fact that objects can be struck by lightning even when they are not the tallest things around. The links that were offered up as evidence, and which I have questioned, I have questioned because they offer no evidence in support of that idea. Like engineer comp geek’s link about the soccer field, and your original link, and the links that Nipless provides. You state that lightning can hit anything, but the links you offer up do not necessarily support your assertion. **Fubaya** ’s post, and **RNATB** ’s do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lightning-strike-a-player-on-the-field-in-a-sports-stadium/684600.md?page=3)