Few moments at the ballpark stay with you because you just cannot forget them. So now one such scene is when Harrison Bader smashed a solo shot into the left field stands during the Phillies-Marlins game. The ball dropped near a woman in a white Phillies jersey, who missed the clean catch.
No big deal. A dad in a red Phillies shirt scooped it up and handed it proudly to his young son. It was a perfect moment for both of them. That should be the end of the story.
But here comes the actual drama. The woman just went over, scolded the dad, and demanded the ball. The father reluctantly pulled it from his kid’s glove and gave it up, clearly wanting to end the scene and not wanting something big. The scene aired live on NBC Sports Philadelphia. By Saturday night, it became national news.
SportsCenter Hosts Just Said It Clearly
ESPN’s Michael Eaves and Nicole Briscoe lit into the woman on SportsCenter. Briscoe said, “Hate to call her a Karen, but…” before adding, “Because here’s the thing, you took it from a kid.” Eaves piled on. “Make her feel terrible,” he said after hearing the Marlins later gave the boy a gift bag. Briscoe doubled down. “Yes, please make her feel terrible. I don’t care, lady, who you are. You didn’t have a kid with you. He did. It’s about that. What the hell? What is wrong with people?”
Social media quickly named her “Phillies Karen,” and also identified the person. Everyone knew the unwritten rule. If you drop the ball and it hits the ground, it’s fair game. She had her chance. She blew it. You don’t march over and strip a kid of his birthday moment.
The story did find a better ending. The Marlins gave the boy some baseballs and team swag. More importantly, Harrison Bader met with the family after the game and handed over a signed bat. The Phillies shared the moment on social media with the caption, “Going home with a signed bat from Bader.”
The woman walked away with a baseball. The kid walked away with a signed bat from the guy who hit the homer. SportsCenter roasted her. The internet did the rest. Sometimes the best part of a game is watching the good guys win in the end.
