There seem to be quite a number of selfish and ill-mannered people among sports fans. Generally, when a ball flies toward the crowd and someone manages to catch it, that baseball belongs to that person. However, not everyone subscribes to that unwritten guideline. During a Mets game in New York, the cameras captured a struggle between an older man and a younger man. The older man had caught the baseball, but the younger man, for reasons that were unclear, decided he wanted it and forcefully took it away. Due to his size and youth, he succeeded in claiming the ball. The older man could only stare at him in frustration before slowly returning to his own seat. Meanwhile, the younger fan showed off the baseball he had taken to his friends. Though we could not hear his words, it was clear he was feeling proud and smug about what he had done.
While this New York baseball fan seemed perfectly fine with his actions, the internet certainly was not. It did not take long before someone uploaded the video online, drawing the attention of many angry users. “He’s sooo proud of himself, what an a**hole,” one person wrote. Many criticized the younger fan for confronting an older man over the baseball, labeling his behavior entitled and childish. “Security should step in and help him find his way out. He clearly needs it, and maybe even permanent trespassing. Actions need consequences again, you can look around and see what happens when they don’t,” another user said.
Some expressed exasperation at the fact that incidents like this happen all too often in sports. Indeed, this was not the first time such a thing had occurred. Not too long ago, there was drama at a tennis match when a CEO attempted to steal an autographed hat from a young fan. That incident ended with a public apology, but it served as a reminder that selfish behavior at sporting events does not go unnoticed.
Some internet users hoped that similar consequences would be brought to this New York baseball fan, who clearly needed a lesson. Others, however, remarked that things might not be so simple. They pointed out that the video began midway through the struggle, so nobody could definitively say who had caught the baseball first. Some even suggested that the clip might simply be rage bait, uploaded to stir up attention online.
“I tend to think he is a thief, but what if they both reached for the ball at the same time? Then I have to side with the younger guy. But if the older man caught it first, and the younger fan grabbed it shortly after, which is what I assume happened, then I side with the old man. My guess is that is what happened because the crowd seemed unsure what to do and did not get involved,” one user explained.
