When Baseball Fans Take Things Too Far...

Greetings, Vocal readers and baseball fans. As someone who loves baseball, it disgusts me when many baseball fans take their level of entitlement to new levels. Currently, there's a troubling trend that's happening in baseball: players receiving threats from disgruntled fans. Recently, Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers had been the target of numerous threats that were so disturbing that he had to secure 24-hour protection for him and his family. One of the main reasons behind those threats was fans losing huge bets, leading them to hurl obscenities and other offensive insults online. I participate in daily fantasy contests: the kind of contests where you have a chance of winning some money. I've been doing this for well over a year during the MLB and also the NFL season. That includes the World Series and Super Bowl respectively. Some of these fans and sports bettors take this way too seriously when it should be enjoyable, whether you win or lose a bet or bets. I know that many people bet on games for a living or as a side hustle. However, it's not that serious. I'll never cosign with baseball fans sending others, including players, threats towards them or their families. That's crossing the line. Whether or not you're a fan of a team or player, this kind of behavior is unacceptable and uncalled for. Us baseball fans trash talk about each other's teams and favorite players online. Harmless trash talk is fine, just as long as it doesn't go too far. I partake in this, too. Sending players threats because they didn't perform the way you expected them to and you losing bets is unacceptable. Free speech doesn't mean free from the consequences. This also applies to the situation regarding Steve Bartman, a devoted Cubs fan, who was vilified during one game of the 2003 NLCS that became infamous when the Cubs were playing against the then Florida Marlins for catching a ball. The Marlins would later head to the World Series and win it all. He had to be escorted out and when the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, he was rewarded with a World Series ring and an apology from the organization. He received numerous threats back in 2003 and since then, still receives them to this day. Bartman didn't deserve those threats and I felt bad for him. He was a Cubs fan who got caught up in a situation that wasn't his fault.

Attending a baseball game is a privilege, not a right. Fans have been banned for a number of reasons, including fans grabbing a player's wrist to prevent them from catching a ball. During last year's World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, two idiotic Yankees fans and yes, I described them as such, grabbed Dodgers player Mookie Betts' wrist to prevent him from catching a ball that ended up being a home run. They could've injured his wrist. Those two fans would later be banned for life by Major League Baseball. I'm not a fan of either team, but I agreed with MLB for them taking the appropriate and necessary action of banning those two knuckleheads. If you think that this is acceptable, you shouldn't be able to attend a single Minor or Major League game again. When you attend a baseball game, there's a level of decorum that you must abide to. In other words, act accordingly as if you're a guest in someone else's home. Either behave yourself and enjoy the game or stay at home and watch them from the comfort of your couch. You're a grown adult, so act like one. I understand that fans can heckle players, which is very common these days. However, there's a such thing as taking this and other actions towards players too far. Also, if you're one of those fans, a grown adult, who selfishly snatches foul balls from a kid's hand, you're the lowest of the low. If a foul ball lands in your direction and a kid is nearby, give it to them. It might be a souvenir and a huge deal to you, but it's a bigger deal and also a souvenir for that kid.

Baseball fans should take heed of the stories about McCullers and Betts as a reminder that there's nothing wrong with rooting for your own team and our favorite players. Threats in general, however, are unacceptable and shouldn't be justified or encouraged. The moral of the story is this: be on your best behavior when attending a baseball game, whether it's a Minor or Major League game.

Have you witnessed a fan being kicked out of a game by either an usher or umpire? What are some of your favorite infamous baseball fan moments? Be sure to like this story if you enjoyed it. Follow me on social media, subscribe to my page, and please send me a one-off tip at the end of the story. No tip is ever too big or small. They support creators like me and encourage us to write and publish more stories.