The Yankees said they must have lost it in the sun.
A day after The Post reported on fan furor over the stadium’s ban on bringing sunscreen to games, team officials today conceded that the rules were “too stringent.”
Fans were burned up inside and out after being forced to toss their sun block before being allowed into the stadium, a measure that the Yankees insisted was necessary to prevent terrorist attacks, the idea being that the lotion could actually be an explosive.
Sunscreen is sold inside the stadium at a hugely marked up price of $5 an ounce. The team claims that the ban had been in effect for years, but security officials at the stadium told the Post that in the past four weeks, enforcement was dramatically ramped up.
The Yankees will still not allow sunscreen in aerosol cans but have lifted all other restrictions. The ban had been modeled on airport safety regulations, spokesman Jason Zillo said.
Fans said they were pleased the team saw the ultraviolet light but contend that overall security practices at the stadium remain excessive and inconsistent.
“The Yankees’ management will do whatever it takes to maximize profit under the guise of security,” said Chester Hicks, a retired cop. “I have entered the stadium wearing my off-duty revolver. I was not scanned or patted down. Yankee Stadium is concerned more about cameras and food being brought into the stadium.”
Dermatologists condemned the ban, complaining that the policy was putting fans – particularly children – at great risk.
Major League Baseball even has a skin-cancer awareness campaign called “Play Sun Smart,” which encourages fans to reapply sunscreen every two hours.
Shea Stadium has never banned sunscreen, officials said, nor have any other major-league ballparks.
Sen. John McCain, who was at Sunday’s game, is a skin-cancer survivor.
“It’s an unfortunate situation,” his spokesman, Tucker Bounds, said. “We fully understand the essential need for sunscreen.”