Wimbledon Bans Selfie Sticks: ‘You Might Poke Someone’s Eye Out’

Wimbledon decided to ban selfie sticks from the prestigious tournament at the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC). They join numerous museums and other tourist attractions to ban the stick.

“It is in common with everyone else,” claimed an AELTC spokesman. “It is partly the nuisance value but primarily so it doesn’t interfere with spectators’ enjoyment. There is the possibility that if you are wandering around with one of these things in a fairly tight environment, you might poke someone’s eye out.”

The Australian Open designated selfie stick areas. There is no word yet about the selfie stick policies at Roland Garros or the US Open, the other two tennis Grand Slam tournaments.

Wimbledon’s popularity naturally leads to crowded conditions. Over 13 days in 2014, the tournament hosted 491,084 people.

London’s National Gallery and six soccer stadiums also ban the stick. In United States, New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the Kentucky Derby, and Coachella all told visitors they cannot bring in the device. Even Apple will not allow it at its conference in June.

The device became extremely popular after news outlets posted pictures of tennis star Maria Sharapova, US President Barack Obama, and UK Prime Minister David Cameron using the item.