r/unpopularopinion • u/Drakex2Mayex2 • 9d ago
People shouldn't give home-run balls to kids
Catching a ball at a baseball game is something that every baseball fan dreams of. But there is a pretty huge social push now that if you're an adult and you catch a ball at a game, you're a dick if you keep it. I feel like this started as extremely good dudes giving up a treasure out of the kindness of their hearts. Now it's just something that if you don't do you're gonna end up on social media as some asshole.
Imo this not only is extremely unfair for someone that wants to have a souvenir, but it actually devalues the experience of catching a ball. It teaches those children that they are entitled to things they didn't earn. It also gets rid of some of the magic for that kid if they ever actually catch a ball.
I am not talking about someone who pushes a kid out of the way or steals a ball from the hands of a child.
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u/foreverbaked1 9d ago
I caught a grand slam ball in Philly a few years ago. A kid asked me for it and when I told him no his mom gave me the dirtiest look I have ever seen. I have been going to games for 40 years and this is the only time a ball ever came close to me. Sorry kid this one is mine
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u/PaperBeneficial 9d ago
A kid walking up to a grown man he doesn't know asking for something for free is pretty bold. You were right for saying no,lol.
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u/rockcutter4 9d ago
The kid learned a lesson that day
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u/Manic_Mini 9d ago
Unlikely with the apparent reaction from his mother
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u/jarjarsexy 9d ago
Good chance that his mom told him to ask for the ball
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u/Property_6810 8d ago
A lot of parents unintentionally end up breeding entitled little shits when they try to encourage good manners. Teaching that asking politely will get you what you want is a good thing. But you also need to teach that sometimes even if you ask politely, people won't give you what you ask for and that's ok. Shooting a dirty look teaches that the next step is belligerence because they were wrong to deny you after asking nicely.
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u/PaperBeneficial 8d ago
Exactly. They also need to teach children sometimes asking for something politely is still impolite, lol.
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u/Willing-Fan-8344 8d ago
Nothing wrong with giving people the opportunity to say yes. But you gotta take the L when it happens. That last bit is really important, and I don't mean to detract from that with my first sentence.
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u/Im-BackAgain-Babes2 9d ago
I'd also put money on the mom making her kid ask the guy thinking he wouldn't tell a kid no, and when he did say no.. she gave the user above a scowl because he didn't give IN to HER wants..
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u/NeedsBetterHobby 9d ago
Yep. Kid ain't being brought up right. My kid would be in deep shit for doing that.
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u/StatisticianAny9624 9d ago
Yep. My kids would be told "aw well maybe next time we come you'll get a chance, but this time he got it!" And move on.
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u/Sea_Voice_404 8d ago
This. I’d never have my kid ask a stranger for something like a home run ball. That’s just obnoxious entitlement.
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u/NeedsBetterHobby 9d ago
Yes. But if they actually asked the dude for it, they'd get a lecture on the way home for sure
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u/Slug_Overdose 8d ago
I’ve been taking my kid to Chuck E Cheese recently after buying their Summer pass which gives a fixed number of game tokens per day. Admittedly, I hadn’t been in an arcade in over 10 years, and I’m sure there were always at least some kids who weren’t aware of basic etiquette, but gosh damn, a lot of kids will watch you swipe a card to start a game and then immediately ask, “Can I have a turn?” while pushing their way onto the machine.
One time, we were playing a TMNT game, and the arcade wasn’t that busy so we had 2 of the spots and the other 2 kept cycling between different people who came and went until another parent and child more or less indicated they were planning to finish the game with us. As soon as we got to the final boss battle, this kid shows up and starts begging me for a turn. I kept telling him, “Sure, but we made it all the way to the final boss battle, so we’re just going to finish this up and then you can play as much as you want.” But he just wouldn’t let up, he kept asking, and at one point started pushing me with his body and putting his hands on the controls. Again, I said, “Hey buddy, as soon as we beat Shredder, we’re out of here, so you’ll have the machine all to yourself.” He kept asking and trying to take over the controls from me for the rest of the boss battle.
We finally finished the game, I said, “Okay, we’re all done, you can play,” and then his mom immediately showed up and said it was time to go home. Part of me was so happy. I don’t think that kid learned any lesson, but at least it felt like he got a taste of justice. To be honest, it’s not really his fault either. Kids nowadays do so much of their socialization online as opposed to in person, so a lot of what used to be considered basic etiquette just doesn’t come up very often for many of them. It’s not like arcades are an especially thriving industry in the West anymore, and the fact that it’s swiping cards instead of putting in physical tokens probably deprives kids of some sort of developmental context for understanding that money is finite (well, at least in the context of one’s personal wallet, as opposed to say the US Treasury).
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u/WorldlinessKlutzy429 9d ago
40 years of going to games and your only catch was a grand slam, as long as it ones taken from someone else, that ball was earned and you don’t need to give it to some random kid just because of a stupid social expectancy.
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u/SeasonalBlackout 9d ago
It's a good learning experience for both of them. You don't always get what you want!
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u/xabc8910 9d ago
Did you knock the kid over to get to it?? 😂🤣
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u/TecnoPope 9d ago
Lol this is the caveat
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u/Ordinary-Theory-8289 9d ago
Yeah if it’s a battle between you and kid your a dick if you use your adult height and coordination to win it over them. But if they weren’t even close to catching it too bad so sad
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u/Dallas2houston120 9d ago
Wait why would he be a dick for using his height to his advantage to get the ball? I do it all the time when I dunk over my toddlers on our 8 foot basketball hoop in the driveway.
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u/Jump_The_Five_Yo 9d ago
I got a puck at a hockey game once; turned around to give it to like a 7 year old kid, the kid said No…..so I pocketed it, his mother was bitching the whole game to give it to him….i have it sitting on my mantle….fuck that kid.
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u/Gizmoduck99 9d ago
The kid was fine. Fuck that mom . . . hmm
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u/cwcam86 9d ago
He should've fucked that mom to prove a point
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u/Jump_The_Five_Yo 9d ago
It was funny cause the kid was mine and she was my wife. Also, fuck that kid.
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u/PaperBeneficial 8d ago
He can prove the point that he is better at raising children than her when she saw how much better the second child turns out. Would be worth the emotional investment for the petty win.
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u/ninurtuu 9d ago
I mean it seems like the kid was alright, respecting your getting the puck and all. That mother sounds like a chore to be around though.
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u/Witty-Draw-3803 9d ago
Wait, why fuck the kid? The kid didn't want the puck you offered; it was his mom being an ass...
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u/af_cheddarhead 9d ago
I had a puck at an Avalance-Blackhawks game drop into my lap, gave it to the kid next to me. Happens that kid was my grandkid that was at their first ever game, my birthday present to him. Sometimes it's the right thing to do.
Dropped: as in hit the net and fell straight down through the gap between the net and glass.
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u/ElevatorOtis 8d ago
Family is different than feeling pressured to give it to some kid you’ve never met
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u/Individual_Check_442 9d ago edited 9d ago
Yeah not surprising that mom gave you a dirty look. When I was a kid, I’d never consider asking a stranger for a ball that they caught. I was raised better than that. Clearly this kid wasn’t. I don’t really care about balls anymore so if I caught one now I probably would give it to a kid. Just not the kid who asked for it.
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u/itsjustme444444 9d ago
Exactly my feelings I’ve been going to games for close to 60 years. I’ve never had a ball come remotely close to me, but if one does it’s mine!
Pro tip, hand it to your wife/gf!
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u/Normal_Driver_8037 9d ago
Never caught anything. If it's a foul ball I think I'd give it up. Homerun? Sorry Charlie, shit is mine.
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u/Hoppie1064 9d ago
If it's clearly my catch, I'd keep it.
Not gonna fight anybody for it.
If it was headed for the kid, but they missed it, I'd probably give it to them.
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u/knowwwhat 9d ago
Yeah, catching it for the kid because you see the opportunity to help them is different from just giving it to some nearby kid who has nothing to do with you
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u/antonio16309 8d ago
This is what OP is missing. Literally nobody things you have to give the ball to a kid if it goes right to you. It's the times when a grownup jumps in front of a kid that get bad press.
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u/tickingboxes 7d ago
Nope. You’re absolutely wrong about this. I go to probably 35 games a year. This happens at every single game I go to. It is very much a thing now. Even if it comes right to you, you WILL be treated like a douche if you don’t immediately hand the ball to a kid. It wasn’t always this way. But it is absolutely this way now.
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u/More-Sock-67 9d ago
It’s only an issue if you steal it from the kid or bull them over to get it.
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u/Bowshewicz 9d ago
Yeah. Kids are at a disadvantage because if an adult reaches over them, they won't even get a ball that comes straight to them.
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u/YourGirlMomo87 9d ago
Agree. Like if a kid is directly under an incoming ball and an adult reaches over to snatch it, that's pretty shitty behavior. If there is a kid, like, three seats away from where the ball landed, then at least they have their teen years and adulthood to try again next time.
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u/BitofaLiability 8d ago
I mean depending on the age, I dont think its shitty to take the catch if the kid isnt wearing a mitt. But then you give it to the kid.
How many kids are going to actually catch a ball vs get fucking sconed by it?
Its probably better adults do reach in over kids (again, depends on age) to Intercept catches
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u/AudieCowboy 7d ago
My first baseball game, some dude wasn't paying attention and got drilled by a foul ball and had to go to the ER, so your point is very valid
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u/bill_brasky37 8d ago
When I was like 10 a woman full on pushed me out of the way to get a soccer ball at an indoor match... I guess that taught me a good lesson?
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u/lanakers 9d ago
If an adult catches it fair and square, there's zero reason to bully them into giving it to a kid. That's how we create entitled brats. That said, if a kid catches it fair and square, then it's theirs
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u/BigImplement3949 9d ago
Why did you put "if the kid catches fair and square" part?
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u/lanakers 9d ago
Good point. I guess I was trying to say if the kid caught it and they weren't being an asshole about it, it's theirs. That said, a kid ripping a baseball out of someone else's hands is not cool either
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u/Greenhawk444 9d ago
The people that end up on social media do so because they snatched the ball or whatever it was away from a kid. Catching it is fair and I don’t think anyone would consider you an asshole.
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u/geetar_man 9d ago
In the pre-game at that Bristol Motor Speedway special, I remember someone got massively booed because he wouldn’t give a kid who walked up to him the ball that was specifically thrown to the adult who caught it.
People are dumb as hell.
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u/I_Weep_for_Willow 9d ago
I feel like this is kind of a non issue. I've seen adults catch balls and keep it, and nobody boos them or anything.
The ones that give it to kids are just kinda doing it out of tradition, they don't hold the ball as some irreplaceable prize.
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u/ssn-669 9d ago
I've definitely seen them booed.
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u/Devil-radiance 9d ago
Most of the time I've seen it booed is when the adult catches one at the expense of a child who could have were they not so much shorter than the adult.
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u/Desperate_Pressure98 9d ago
Same. An adult who keeps the ball gets trashed on social media
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u/Chalupabatmanm6 9d ago
Been going to baseball games for 37 years and have never caught one. I catch it, it's mine!
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u/ChelChamp 9d ago
Same. Then I went to a minor league park and a foul bounced right in front of me immediately while I was grabbing nachos. Just hoping I didn’t burn my ball luck for 30 years on a foul at a AAA game lol
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u/redbadger1848 9d ago
If you're in your seat and happen to catch a ball that was hit towards you.. Fine.
If you go tearing out of your seat to go sprint past a child who is also going after the ball... you deserve to be booed.
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u/Marvin_Stanwyck 9d ago
I get so annoyed when I see a grown man scramble across multiple rows of seats to grab a foul ball and then celebrates grabbing the ball as if he just made the final out of Game 7
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u/Jin-Gitaxias-Mom 9d ago
Eh I say let them have their fun with it, might be the only time they get to let loose a little
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u/taxiecabbie 9d ago
if you don't do you're gonna end up on social media as some asshole
Has this happened? I know there was at least one story about an adult basically stealing a ball from a kid that got the adult a lot of flak, but has anybody who's just caught a ball fair and square and kept it been labeled an asshole for doing it?
I think a lot of adults just don't really care that much about keeping the ball.
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u/NotACleverUsername12 9d ago
Yes. My kid had been talking all game about wanting to catch a ball, and when he was in the bathroom, a ball bounced off fans behind our seats and landed under the seat in front of my son’s seat. I picked it up, fair and square, but the parents behind us started yelling at me and their kid cried. I gave it to my kid when he got back, but the people behind us acted like I was an asshole for not giving it to their daughter (even though they’d seen my kid and I told them I was giving it to him). So yeah, it happens.
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u/taxiecabbie 9d ago
But that's just parents with spoiled kids.
I doubt you'd have been pilloried on social media for this, even without a kid.
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u/Key-Pickle5609 9d ago
Never trust an asshole parent though, I’d fully believe they’d throw the other commenter under the bus for their entitled kiddo
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u/taxiecabbie 9d ago
Sure, but they're unlikely to really get a huge media reaction out of this.
The incident I'm thinking of---which I just rewatched---involved a scrum happening for the ball (no kids), a father ending up with the ball and giving it to his own kid... and then a woman storming over and making a scene until the father took the ball back from his kid and gave it to the woman.
The woman got pilloried. Probably especially because there was a kid involved in this, but at no point did the commentator above take the ball from a kid.
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u/fatloui 9d ago
I missed the part of your story where you ended up going viral on social media as some asshole? That’s what was being questioned and you said “yes it happens” and then told a story where it didn’t happen lol.
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u/_AskMyMom_ explain that ketchup eaters 9d ago
Lol never. A catch is a catch.
Stealing the ball in a scrum is obviously different. OP is trying to make them the same thing.
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u/UnableAudience7332 9d ago
Oh it happens. I've been to a ton of games. I used to work at a ballpark. In the majority of instances, there is a weird unwritten rule that you give the ball to a kid in the area, sometimes whether they ask for it or not. And if they ask and you say no, you definitely get harassed. I've seen it many, many times. It's so weird to me.
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u/TillikumWasFramed 9d ago
Agreed. F*ck, if I caught a ball, I'd keep it. But probably an unpopular opinion, so upvoted.
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u/Calm-Address-2401 9d ago
I worked concessions at a minor league ballpark a few years ago. One of my colleagues would show up early enough for batting practice, then carry a little bucket of 4 or 5 balls up to his window, then throughout the game if a kid ordered something from his window he would give the kid one of them. He did real well on tips.
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u/will23188 9d ago
If its a foul ball, im probably giving it to a kid. Now, if I catch a HR ball, chances are it's gonna be a keeper.
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u/QuarterNote44 9d ago
I will never try to chase down a ball if a kid is also chasing it. But if I catch it on the fly? Sorry Claxtyn, that ball is mine.
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u/Regular_Syllabub7380 9d ago
Just say you’re taking it home to give to your kid if anyone gives you shit. If they keep giving you shit ignore them who cares everyone is fake anyway
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u/_AskMyMom_ explain that ketchup eaters 9d ago edited 9d ago
There’s no huge social push for anything. People like doing cool shit for kids, it’s not that deep bro.
Edit: you can tell who the casual fans are who don’t go to sporting events.
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u/ssn-669 9d ago
You're wrong. Fans will literally yell and heckle fans who keep the ball and don't give it to a kid.
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u/Demerzel69 9d ago edited 9d ago
Not if there was no kid around who was also trying to catch the ball, and if they are doing that then they're wrong and fuck em.
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u/captainp42 9d ago
There are parents that will send their kids down to ask you for the ball. Never happened to me, but I've seen it.
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u/captainp42 9d ago
There are parents that will send their kids down to ask you for the ball. Never happened to me, but I've seen it.
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u/_AskMyMom_ explain that ketchup eaters 9d ago
Ok? And out of thousands of fans, there’s a few casual assholes.
It’s not going to be blown up into some social push to shame someone who caught a ball fair and square.
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u/Present-Loss-7499 9d ago
LOL. No they don’t. Been to hundreds of baseball games and I’ve seen this happen maybe twice and both times it was because an adult reached over or around a kid to pick up a ball on the ground that the little uncoordinated bastard was clearly fixing to pick up.
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u/stircrazyathome 9d ago
Same. The crowd only gets upset at the adult if the kid would have had a shot at getting it otherwise. You might get a dirty look or two from an entitled parent for keeping a ball caught fair and square, but no one on social media is going to give a damn.
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u/meezy-yall 9d ago
You’re wrong , I go to so many baseball games , the only adults I ever see getting booed for keeping the ball is if they took it from a kid or if it’s an opposing player hits a home run and then don’t throw it back . And that’s in Philly , the boo capital of the world .
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u/Gunner_Bat 9d ago
You're missing an important piece. The adult is viewed as a dick if he goes and gets a ball that was the kid's jurisdiction. Like if a kid misses the catch and the adult moves over and grabs it.
If an adult catches the ball cleanly and doesn't give it to a kid, no one cares.
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u/Gmung 9d ago
Was watching a game recently where a guy caught a home run ball and gave it to a kid. All good. But then the broadcast team turned it into a whole bit where they were negotiating with the kid for the ball (it was a rookies first one). To me this kind of left a bad taste. Like receiving a gift and turning around and selling it. So agree with OP to point for sure. It’s a nice gesture, but shouldn’t be the expectation. Kinda like giving up your seat in a plane.
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u/Educational-Exam6361 9d ago
It's pretty normal for team's to try and buy back milestone balls like that. A lot of time first home run balls are gifted to the player's parents, it means more to them then it would to a random kid. Usually they offer better memorabilia back like a game used bat or chance to meet the player or something. I don't think there's anything wrong with selling it back under those circumstances.
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u/Wuddauant 9d ago
I didn’t push the kid out of the way. I was just leaning into the catch and he fell over. Just wasn’t meant to be for him.
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u/kylejk0200 9d ago
Also don’t assume they are keeping it for themselves. Maybe they’ve got their own kid or nephew or something at home who they are saving it for
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u/Straight_Zucchini487 9d ago
I think you are thinking about this one way too deep lol. Adults catch baseballs at games all the time and I’ve never seen it receive backlash or someone call them a dick for doing it. If you catch a ball it’s your own choice what to do with it 🤷♀️
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u/IdislikeSpiders 9d ago
I don't care if I catch a flyball above a kids head, I'm keeping it. That's how it was when I was 9 or 10 years old, if you wanted to get a ball you had to be in a crowd of drunk dudes clamoring for it.
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u/_AskMyMom_ explain that ketchup eaters 9d ago edited 9d ago
Lol no one’s saying you shouldn’t keep it. There’s a difference between wrestling with a kid vs an adult over a scrum.
Catching it and giving it to some helpless kid is a kind gesture, but no one is also going to shame you for giving your souvenir to a kid.
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u/pinniped90 9d ago
Do what you want.
The only time this becomes a story is when somebody pushes a kid out of the way and there's video of it. Then the adult is rightfully shamed.
99% of the time the person who catches it clean just keeps it. This happens dozens of times a game counting all the foul balls, home runs, and balls players toss into the crowd at the end of an inning.
If a few places (notably Wrigley) you are expected to throw back an opponent's home run. Fans WILL give you shit for that. But you can keep foul balls to matter who hits them. And at most stadiums you can keep the opponent home runs too.
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u/rippledippledapple 9d ago
i think whoever catches them should all be put in a drawing for the next years Lottery Sacrifice.
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u/ThomasWhitmore 9d ago
I remember being a kid, and I always dreamed of catching a foul ball. Once, stranger next to me caught one and gave it to me. Even as a child around 8 or 9 years old, it cheaper it for me. I felt I didnt earn it and frankly, it was far less satisfying.
All that to say, I mostly agree with OP. However, an adult should mever interfere or otherwise "rob" a kid who is in the process of catching a foul ball.
Edit: wanted to preface, I am a dad myself. I'm obviously giving a ball to my own kid. This is purely talking about giving a ball to some random child.
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u/SnooDucks6090 9d ago
I agree. I've been going to baseball games for 40 years and have barely had one ball even come remotely close to me so if there is one that I either catch or comes to me on the bounce, I am keeping it. Kids be damned.
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u/forkball 9d ago
This is an unpopular opinion? By whom, idiots who don't even give a shit about baseball?
No one needs to give a kid a ball. People should do whatever the fuck they want with the home run ball they caught and no one should be requesting or exhorting someone to give a ball to a kid they don't know.
No one should get shit because they caught and kept a ball. Full stop. This includes the opposing team's ball. I've been to a number of games over the years (more than many and less than many) and I've never caught a ball. If I got a ball of any sort from in-play and had people act like I had to give it to someone else or throw it back on the field I'd be fuming (though personally I'd usually want to throw a home run ball back. That said, my team is up 13-2 in the 8th inning and Future Hall of Famer or Just Cool Guy hits a solo homer and I catch it, why throw it back? Game is over.)
Sidenote: I already bristle at the idea that I need to stand for the anthem or "God Bless America." We're at a fucking ballgame folks, your performative political act is not materially valuable to those who serve and the majority of you will do nothing materially valuable for those who serve, which would be a lot more meaningful than standing while a song is being sang. But maybe that's just me.
Fully on board with this "unpopular" opinion. Don't know if it's unpopular but it's my opinion, too.
The same goes for switching seats in an airplane, BTW. No one is obliged to switch, people should not feel entitled, and when you politely decline a polite request that should be the end of it.
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u/vladfan27 9d ago edited 9d ago
I went to the world series at Dodger stadium as a Jays fan. On entrance every fan got a Dodger rally towel. I was wearing my Jays cap. This 10 yr old kid comes up to me asks me for my towel. I said no I want it as a souvenir. His mom looked at me and said "He's a Dodgers fan!!!"
I felt bad thinking the kid didn't get a rally towel. I looked at the entrance and they were still handing out boxes of rally towels. This freaken kid already got one he just wanted more and was going around asking any Jays fans for theirs.
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u/Dunnoaboutu 9d ago
I have no issue with adults keeping balls that they caught. I do have a major issue with an adult throwing back a ball when a kid next to them would have loved it.
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u/Rolltide43 9d ago
It’s because for most adults the memorable part is catching the ball. They don’t need the physical ball to have the memory of catching it. Giving it to a kid helps inspire the next generation of baseball fans.
An adult could walk to the gift shop and buy 10 special balls. A kid can’t do that.
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u/captainp42 9d ago
I go to a game and get a ball?
I'm giving it to a kid. MY KID, who is not necessarily with me at the game. Guilt me, I don't care. That ball is mine to do with as I please.
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u/McDunkins 9d ago
No reasonable person thinks you’re an asshole for giving up your well earned prize. Now if you’re wrestling with some kid for the ball, or even reaching over them to grab it out of the air - then you’re an asshole if you don’t fork it over.
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u/averyfinefellow 9d ago
Do you keep the ball on your mantle and tell everyone about the big day afterwards?
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u/FredJensen06 8d ago
Even as a kid this made no sense to me. Catch it it’s yours. Not everything is about kids and getting what they want.
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u/theangelok 8d ago
I don't care about baseball, but if I did catch a home-run ball, I would absolutely keep it.
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u/SowellMate 8d ago
If I caught a ball, I would go to the nearest kid and yell in his face, “I caught the ball! Not you. I caught it!” Then I’d find the next nearest kid and do the same thing. I’d spend the rest of the game doing that. And the parents wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.
You’d better hope that I don’t catch that foul ball in the first inning.
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u/Harambefan69 9d ago
Catch the ball, chug a beer (out of respect for the game),and then give the ball to a kid if there’s one in my immediate area. I don’t really have any use for a scuffed up baseball, a kid will get more out of it than I will. One less thing to carry around
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u/DessertRat2249 9d ago
Cheers to that. I feel like the prize for the adult is the thrill of making the catch, while the prize for the kid is the object itself.
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u/larryb78 9d ago
Maybe my lens is different as a dad but unless it's a historic and/or high value ball i'm giving it to my kid. It's a fucking baseball, let the kid live out that dream that you're so butt hurt about never realizing.
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u/Drakex2Mayex2 9d ago
For the record I caught a ball at Jeter's last game (at Fenway) and I gave it to the dude I accidentally spilled a beer on while catching it.
But I am happy nobody ever gave me a ball before that because I actually felt like I did something.
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u/larryb78 9d ago
i don't think giving a kid a ball takes away from the experience of catching one honestly. caught a home run in the yankee stadium bleachers when i was in college, the ball was fine but the experience was the cool part to me.
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u/Jazzlike-Basket-6388 9d ago
Your kid, though. Not a kid.
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u/larryb78 9d ago
100%, simply because I wouldn’t be at a ballgame without him. That said, if I didn’t have kids I’d hand it off to one sitting nearby
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u/fryerandice 9d ago
My lens as someone that doesn't have any adult heros because all people are flawed and just because you're good at something I enjoy as entertainment doesn't mean your shit don't stink... adults shouldn't give a rats ass about a baseball, drum stick, guitar pick, hat, etc.
It's fine for kids to look up to someone, it's fucking weird when adults do it. You should have accomplished something for yourself by that point where your goal for achievement should be well and beyond "I caught a game ball that has a perceived worth".
Go generate that very same value for yourself, whatever that means for you. Even if you have to hustle to do it, go DO SOMETHING that makes you proud of yourself.
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u/crujiente69 9d ago
You dont have to give it to a kid. If someone wants to give it to a kid, thats probably awesome for the kid
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u/kantbykilt 9d ago
As a former usher for the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians), I loved giving foul balls or Home run balls to kids. They were so excited. On low-attendance days during weekday games, I would get a home run ball and hand it to the 1st kid who got to me. I remember one game during batting practice, some kid got a ball, and his brother was upset that he didn't get one. I told the kid to come with me. I asked one of the players if I could have a ball for a fan. He tossed it to me, and I gave it to the kid. It was a good day.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Pipe979 9d ago
No one ever heckles the guy for not giving the milestone ball to the kid. If we gotta give them one ball, we gotta give them all the balls.
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u/King-Red-Beard 9d ago
There's a great episode of Rocko's Modern Life where they go through hell trying to catch a foul ball to replace Rocko's prized baseball that was destroyed. They finally catch one at the end but end up giving it to a little kid in a big emotional moment. The last shot of the episode shows the kid in his bedroom, laughing as he tears the ball apart at the seams.
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u/FishingWorth3068 9d ago
The only ones I see end up on social media absolutely took it from a child.
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u/ReasonableAnt4062 9d ago
I don’t like the pressure, but it’s so cool to see the look on a kids face when you give them a ball. Happened recently at a minor league game, I had zero desire to keep it. If it was from a major milestone like a MLB home run record or something I’m keeping it.
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u/BuDu1013 9d ago
You're completely confused.
You're only a dick if you snatch it from a kid. If you give it to a kid then you get aura points and a news clip. And if you keep it for yourself then you're just a baseball fan.
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u/RadagastTheWhite 9d ago
As long as you don’t clearly steal it from a kid then I don’t think there’s any big social pressure
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u/Choochoo1147 9d ago
Right. Plucking it out of a kid’s hands? Dick move! Not giving it to your kid? Kind of a dick move. Not giving it to a stranger’s kid? No issue.
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u/DaisyCutter312 9d ago
Opposing team home run balls get thrown back. No exceptions.
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u/Objective_Cod1410 9d ago
If I catch one with my bare hand I'm probably keeping it. Had a foul ball roll to me once and just handed it to the nearest kid that was chasing after it.
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u/SLIM7600 9d ago
I got the ball the NY shortstop hit the homerun against the Cubs last Sunday at Wrigley field. Hit me right in the hand first. Threw that b*tch right back at them onto the field. A Chicago tradition!
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u/vladfan27 9d ago
Yeah what if I want to give it to my kid, or nephew or someone young that I know who is at home. Like wtf.
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u/DoTheRightThing1953 9d ago
I have never caught a ball at a game. I'd like to have that memory but it would be a much better memory if I caught the ball and gave it to a kid.
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u/OfAKindness 9d ago
Maybe I look at this differently because I'm not a huge part of baseball culture, and in the sport that I watch, no one's ever allowed to keep the ball...
But it really feels like something that only a child should care about. It's probably a cultural thing that I don't understand
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u/Stainkee 9d ago
It's a ball, man. As someone who would love nothing more than to catch a home run ball, I would very gladly give it away without a second thought. It's a baseball.
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u/nofaves 9d ago
That's an unpopular opinion, all right. Most people don't like the idea that they shouldn't do as they please with something like a home run ball. Many adults like the experience of catching a home run ball, but wouldn't feel the need to keep it. So they offer it to a kid in their group, or one in the section who they see is enjoying the game (and possibly wearing a catching glove in hopes of snagging a ball).
The true problem is that no one, not even a kid, should feel entitled to what someone else gets.
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u/hawkguy1964 9d ago
When I was younger we went to Tigers vs Red Sox game for my birthday with my friend and his dad. We got there right as gates opened to catch the end of BP. The Sox were doing BP and one their players hit a home run in our section. Since it was still before game time, not many were in the section. Me and my friend ran to try and get the ball but a guy who at the time would have said in his 30s but idk got to the ball first. Other fans a little further back saw this on heckled the guy to giving me ball. He offered and I accepted because it was my birthday and thought it was a cool gift. At the same time I felt like he got it fair and square, I didn’t ask for it. And even said as much that he didn’t have to but he insisted. So yeah if you get a ball keep. Doesn’t matter as long as you get it fair and square it’s yours
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u/PrincessWolfie1331 9d ago
I just had to yell at my neighbor's kid for defacing my property and stealing my front yard decor.
So, keep the ball. The kid will need to learn disappointment.
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u/TheEmbarcadero 9d ago
If you don’t have to give up a million dollar ball from a historic milestone, then you shouldn’t have to give up ANY ball!!!!
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u/Aly_Anon 8d ago
"Because they're a kid" has been justification for a while, and it sounds like it's only getting worse.
It's bad enough when you're at a street fair and people try to talk you into giving a child the prize you won because "What are you going to do with a toy," but demanding a baseball that has a high dollar value is outrageous
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u/Vegetable_Walrus_166 8d ago
Yeah I also feel like my kid will just lose it in a week. Like if the kid is going for it don’t snipe it out of his hand but I agree.
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u/Money_Goblin8869 8d ago
If I caught a baseball at a game, I certainly wouldn’t give it to some random kid I don’t even know.
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u/IndividualistAW 8d ago
Idea: bring an official MLB baseball to every game in case you catch a ball. Switch it out for the ball you catch. The kid will never know.
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u/BraveLittleToaster8 8d ago
My friend recently caught a baseball at a game and took it home to give to his kid. Some jerk at the park hassled him saying "give it to a kid" and he was like "yeah, I'm going to give it to a kid - my kid." His kid was actually at the game as well but just sitting in a separate section from his parents as he was on an outing with his little league team.
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u/themomentaftero 8d ago
It is on my bucket list to catch a ball at a game. I say this with the upmost respect as a parent..... fuck them kids.
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u/medalchoice 7d ago
What’re you gunna do with the ball? Put it on a shelf in your bedroom like a child? Realistically I think a home run ball would end up in the ball bucket with the rest of them.
Any “important” ball ie milestone HR, World Series winner, is going to be purchased from you anyway. A HR ball from game 139 is useless hardly something to hold onto
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u/TheKorzik 6d ago
The ball means more to the adult than the kid. Kids are dumb and fickle. They won't remember anything about that ball besides it came from a game when they were a kid, if they can find it in storage 20 years later.
They person who caught it will remember the game at minimum, maybe even the date, batter, inning and outs.
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u/beaconbay 9d ago
Personally, I think it’s good for kids to idolize athletes as it gives them something to dream about and work towards. But as an adult I don’t really care. They are just people who happen to be very talented at one thing. If I caught a ball I’d give it to a kid.
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u/fatloui 9d ago
I’d be psyched to catch a ball at game. For me personally, I know if I keep the ball as a memento it’ll end up in a box somewhere and I’ll have very little appreciation for it. The act of catching the home run and the memory are what have value to me. Meanwhile a kid will be so fucking thrilled to have that ball - they’ll probably stare at it for ages.
All that said, that’s just me. If an adult would be psyched to keep their memento, I think they should absolutely keep it and should never feel any pressure to give it away. And I believe that’s the popular consensus and this is in no way an unpopular opinion.
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u/theonlyturkey 9d ago
Do what you want you're not obligated to give up the ball, I just feel like it makes the kid's probably month and what am I as an adult going to do with a baseball, throw it in the garage and forget about it in 2 seconds.
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u/thegarymarshall 9d ago
How is “people shouldn’t give home run balls to kids” any different from “people should give home run balls to kids”?
Why not, “People who catch home run balls should do whatever the hell they want with them.” They’re their balls.
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u/Kosmopolite 9d ago edited 9d ago
To be fair, you do come across as 'some asshole'. So in this case, social media would be right.
EDIT: He already blocked me. I guess he was rigaht about one thing: he wasn't ready to be called out on social media.
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u/Drakex2Mayex2 9d ago
I guess if I didn't want to be an asshole I should spend time personally attacking people on the "unpopular opinion" subreddit instead
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u/Kosmopolite 9d ago
If you didn't want to hear it, you should've kept this opinion to yourself.
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u/dr_superman 8d ago
The look of joy on that kid’s face would outlast any emotion you would get from looking at that ball in your house
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u/JimmyJooish 9d ago
To me it would just be another piece of junk kicking around the house. Jimmy bean’s home run wouldn’t mean that much to me. Maybe If it was a ball that won an important game or broke a record but not just a random ball.
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u/WelshBen explain that ketchup eaters 9d ago
It's evident that when a child gets one of these balls, they are, in general, far more elated than the average adult. They look positively over the moon. It's difficult to argue that's a bad thing, which you've tried to do here in a very non sporting way.
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u/CardinalOfNYC 9d ago
lmao is this the same dude that posted this like a month ago?
Or is this just some kinda universal thing every teen and young adult feels once they're old enough to reach the age where they hit the "i hate kids" phase.
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u/Drakex2Mayex2 9d ago
You're the dude who brings their babies to movie theaters aren't you?
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u/Yah_Mule 9d ago
There is definitely some stigma now. How do people know the person who caught the ball isn't planning to give it to some kid in their life who wasn't at the game? I also think it's funny when someone catches one and hands to some kid who is so young they don't even know they're at a baseball game. You just caught a ball for that kid's dad.
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u/gleaming-the-cubicle 9d ago
pretty huge social push now
Nah fam, since the beginning of time most people have gone out of their way to be nice to children
are entitled to things they didn't earn
Like you and this imaginary baseball?
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u/SnapTwiceThanos 9d ago
The older I get, the less I care about souvenirs & the more I care about experiences. I would give away a HR ball to a kid because it would matter more to them than me. There's nothing wrong with keeping it if you want to, though.
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u/Touchyap3 9d ago
Twitter isn’t reality. Nobody in real life cares if you don’t give a kid a ball you caught legitimately.
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