Earlier this week, there was a young boy in the stands at AT&T Park in San Francisco who missed out on a foul ball. He really never had a shot at it, as it landed in the row in front of him. The camera focused on the boy's reaction as he pouted when the woman in front of him held up the ball like a trophy.
The hometown Giants commentators had a lot of fun at the expense of the kid as they replayed the foul ball a couple of times to give the viewers a good laugh. However, the commentators took things a step too far: they decided that they felt bad for the kid and arranged for him to get a baseball.
It's one thing when a player tosses you a ball, as it's usually clear who the ball is intended for. However, foul balls are up for grabs. Whoever gets it keeps it. Everyone knows that. If you miss out on it, then that's just how the ball bounces. However, this kid that misses out on a foul ball, and realistically had no shot at it anyway, gets handed a baseball just because some TV commentators feel bad for him?
What kind of message does this send? Now everytime the kid wants something, he's just going to pout until he gets his way. It totally undermines the kid's father, who was sitting next to the boy and was probably trying to explain to him how foul balls are up for grabs and the kid wasn't close enough to the foul ball to claim it belonged to him.
Also note all the other kids sitting nearby that watched security hand the baseball to the kid. They had just as much chance to get the baseball as the other kid, which was NONE. Are we supposed to give them baseballs too?
What about the kids that saw this happen on TV? They'll probably see this and pout the next time they're at a baseball game when a foul ball gets hit nearby so maybe someone will feel bad and give them a ball.
Kids have to learn to deal with disappointment. It's part of life. There's a lot of grown men out there, including myself, who are still waiting to catch a baseball at some point in their life. If it's meant to be, it should be earned, whether by a good catch, a lucky bounce, or just outrunning nearby fans to the ball.
This kid will never know what that feels like. He sees a foul ball grabbed by someone else in front of him, decides that he wants one, puts on a sad face and gets rewarded with a ball. All thanks to the Giants commentators, who should not have gotten involved.
Is that what it takes to get a baseball these days? Maybe I'll try the pouty face the next time I go to a baseball game. If it worked for this kid, why not?
U mad bro?: Young Giants fan pouts big time over foul ball [Big League Stew]
The hometown Giants commentators had a lot of fun at the expense of the kid as they replayed the foul ball a couple of times to give the viewers a good laugh. However, the commentators took things a step too far: they decided that they felt bad for the kid and arranged for him to get a baseball.
It's one thing when a player tosses you a ball, as it's usually clear who the ball is intended for. However, foul balls are up for grabs. Whoever gets it keeps it. Everyone knows that. If you miss out on it, then that's just how the ball bounces. However, this kid that misses out on a foul ball, and realistically had no shot at it anyway, gets handed a baseball just because some TV commentators feel bad for him?
What kind of message does this send? Now everytime the kid wants something, he's just going to pout until he gets his way. It totally undermines the kid's father, who was sitting next to the boy and was probably trying to explain to him how foul balls are up for grabs and the kid wasn't close enough to the foul ball to claim it belonged to him.
Also note all the other kids sitting nearby that watched security hand the baseball to the kid. They had just as much chance to get the baseball as the other kid, which was NONE. Are we supposed to give them baseballs too?
What about the kids that saw this happen on TV? They'll probably see this and pout the next time they're at a baseball game when a foul ball gets hit nearby so maybe someone will feel bad and give them a ball.
Kids have to learn to deal with disappointment. It's part of life. There's a lot of grown men out there, including myself, who are still waiting to catch a baseball at some point in their life. If it's meant to be, it should be earned, whether by a good catch, a lucky bounce, or just outrunning nearby fans to the ball.
This kid will never know what that feels like. He sees a foul ball grabbed by someone else in front of him, decides that he wants one, puts on a sad face and gets rewarded with a ball. All thanks to the Giants commentators, who should not have gotten involved.
Is that what it takes to get a baseball these days? Maybe I'll try the pouty face the next time I go to a baseball game. If it worked for this kid, why not?
U mad bro?: Young Giants fan pouts big time over foul ball [Big League Stew]
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
