There’s a controversy brewing, but you probably don’t know about it unless you are a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball fan and regularly attend games at the ballpark.
79-year-old Roger Owens has been walking the stands, selling and tossing bags of peanuts to fans for almost 60 years. He is considered an institution at Dodger Stadium, his antics at throwing peanuts an attraction many have associated with summer itself.
Here’s a video of the man in action:
But while the so-called “Peanut Man” can still sell his peanuts to fans, he is no longer allowed to toss them. He has been instructed by Levy Restaurants, the company that manages the stadium’s concessions, to tell those who ask that the decision was made for safety reasons.
That response may lead some to think that Levy is banning Owen’s peanut tossing for fear of an innocent bystander getting clocked in the head with an errant throw, but others are aware that peanut dust has the potential for causing severe reactions in those that are allergic.