(CNN) Faced with rising questions and criticism of President Donald Trump's decision to hold an indoor campaign rally Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany sought to defend her boss by making a comparison to the national pastime.
"When you come to the rally, as in any event, you assume a personal risk," she said. "That is just what you do. When you go to a baseball game, you assume a risk. That's part of life. It's the personal decision of Americans as to whether to go to the rally or whether not to go to the rally."
Except that going to a baseball game and running the risk of being hit with a baseball in the stands, which presumably is what McEnany is referencing in her quote, isn't at all the same thing as attending a political rally during the coronavirus pandemic.
Though it should be obvious, let's break down why:
1) Baseball is played outside: The Tulsa rally is inside. We know that the danger of catching coronavirus is significantly heightened by being indoors for an extended period of time. "We know that being outdoors is lower risk for coronavirus transmission than being indoors," epidemiologist Julia L. Marcus told The New York Times last month.
2) Being hit by a batted ball is very rare: According to comprehensive study by NBC News, 808 people had been hit by batted balls while in the stands in Major League Baseball games between 2012 and 2019. If you take the attendance of all games in 2019 -- 68 million -- and multiply it by eight seasons, you get 544 million fans over those years. Which means that .00001% of the people who attend games get hit by a baseball.
By contrast, there are now 2.1 million cases of coronavirus in the United States. Which, with a population of roughly 330 million, means that .6% of the population has it or has had it.
And, because math .6% is a LOT greater than .00001%.
3) Being hit by a batted ball doesn't kill many people: In August 2018 at Dodger Stadium, a woman was hit with a batted ball in the stands and died four days later. It was the first death of a fan as a result of being hit with a batted ball in more than 50 years. By comparison, coronavirus -- since its arrival in the United States earlier this year -- has caused more than 117,000 deaths, with projections that it could be responsible for 200,000 fatalities by October. Globally, coronavirus has killed more than 445,000 people.
4) Being hit by a batted ball isn't contagious: If you happen to be one of the unlucky people to be struck by a batted ball at a professional baseball game, it's at best unpleasant. But even if you suffer an injury more serious than a bruise and even have to be hospitalized, you can't pass on your getting struck by a ball to your relatives who come visit you or the doctors who treat you. Because being hit by a baseball is not an infectious disease.
Coronavirus, on the other hand, is an infectious disease. And from what we know of it, pretty highly transmissible particularly in indoor spaces.
As you can see, there's simply no comparison. Not to mention the fact that pro baseball isn't even being played right now -- although some reports suggest that is about to change!
McEnany -- and Trump -- make regular use of these apples-to-astronauts comparisons, believing, I guess, that it helps them make the case to the average person.
But spend five seconds thinking about it and you quickly see why being hit with a baseball at a game isn't even close to the same thing as going to a campaign rally in a state (and a city!) where coronavirus cases are on the rise.
Like, not in the same, uh, ballpark.