Whether it's ice hockey or baseball, there are few experiences as thrilling as catching a puck that has been tossed over the sideboards or a ball that has made its way to the stands.
However, the feel-good factor is somewhat dampened when supposedly responsible adults go out of their way to prevent kids from experiencing such a thrill, which is exactly what two Chicago Cubs fans appeared to do on Sunday.
Cubs' first base coach Will Venable tossed a ball towards a young fan seated in the first row at Wrigley Field, only for the ball to roll away underneath the seat. At that point, a man sat behind the kid knelt down to grab the ball and handed it over to a woman sat next to him, gleefully ignoring the fact it was intended for the kid in front of him.
The couple seemed to cheerfully laugh at the young boy's expense. Unfortunately for them, their behavior was caught on camera and immediately became a social media sensation.
"I can't believe I am seeing this," tweeted Sirius XM NFL reporter Mike Clemens.
"The # Cubs first base coach CLEARLY flips a baseball to a young boy. The ball falls to the ground and rolls under his seat and this fat ass Cubs fan sitting behind him not only steals it, but shows it off to his wife Miss Piggy who says NOTHING."
The boy would have the last laugh as the Cubs noticed the couple's behavior and handed over two baseballs, one of which was autographed by Cubs infielder Javier Baez.
A @javy23baez signed ball should take care of it. #EverybodyIn pic.twitter.com/4YzUlG8qfN
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 22, 2018
It later emerged the incident wasn't as bad as it first looked, as NBC Sports Chicago's David Kaplan explained the man in the video had actually helped the same kid grab a ball a little earlier, meaning the social media backlash was unwarranted.
I spoke with people from the Cubs. The man who grabbed the ball on the widely seen video had actually already helped the little boy get a ball earlier. The young man has a game used ball and a Javy Baez ball. All is well. Guy is A-OK so let it go people.
— David Kaplan (@thekapman) July 23, 2018
On the pitch, meanwhile, the Cubs thrashed the Saint Louis Cardinals 7-2 and continue to lead the National League Central with a 58-40 record, 3.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers and eight games in front of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Chicago, who lost the National League Championship Series 4-1 to the Dodgers last year, look poised to reach the post-season for the fourth consecutive year after a six-season hiatus between 2009 and 2014.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he ... Read more
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