There’s No Crying in Baseball, But There Should Be Sunscreen
Fans travel from far and wide to watch their favorite baseball players warm up for the season during spring training. With an influx of tourists visiting the Sunshine State from cooler climates, it’s easy to forget the consequences of basking in the sun.
According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer is the most common type of cancer. While a good tan may look nice, especially after a long, cold winter, sunburns can increase your risk of developing skin cancer, including melanoma, the deadliest form.
To raise awareness around the importance of sun safety, Moffitt Cancer Center’s Mole Patrol provides free skin cancer screenings in the community. During spring training, the Spring Swing Sun Safety Tour visits ballparks across Florida.
The 2024 Spring Swing tour included stops at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, LECOM Park in Bradenton and JetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers. Moffitt’s skin cancer experts screened 125 baseball fans this season, identifying 109 suspicious moles.
Since the program’s inception in 2008, the Spring Swing Sun Safety Tour has screened more than 5,125 fans, detecting 5,292 suspicious cancerous lesions, including 30 cases of suspected melanoma.
“We love doing the Spring Swing because the start of baseball season is the first sign of summer for so many people,” said Dr. Vernon Sondak, chair of the Department of Cutaneous Oncology at Moffitt. “That gives us a great opportunity to remind everyone about the importance of sun safety. Sun protection starts with proper clothing – long sleeves and broad-brimmed hats (sorry, a baseball cap is not enough) – along with sunglasses and sunblock on any exposed skin.”
Wearing sunscreen is the first line of defense for sun protection. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends choosing a broad-spectrum sunscreen that protects against ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays, both of which can cause cancer. Be sure to select a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or more. While sunscreens can be water resistant, they are not waterproof. Apply sunscreen 15 minutes before you’re exposed to the sun and reapply every two to three hours after swimming or excessive sweating. Remember, UV exposure can increase your skin cancer risk even without causing a sunburn.
For more sun safety tips and for a complete listing of upcoming skin cancer screening events in the community, visit Moffitt.org/MolePatrol.
