The Pomegranate

The Pomegranate

Stop Giving Kids Home Run Balls

They deserve the luxury of waiting for something special.

Kristen Mulrooney's avatar
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Kristen Mulrooney
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The Pomegranate
Sep 18, 2025
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Earlier this month, the internet was set aghast by the incident at a Phillies game where a woman demanded a man and his son give her a home run ball she thought was rightfully hers. The woman, dubbed Phillies Karen, was inarguably wrong in this scenario—first, because there's no reason to pick a fight over something so silly with a man who is attending a baseball game with his children, and second because GIRL, THE BALL WASN'T YOURS. You either catch it or you don't, honey. The gods of baseball don't reward a bobble.

Sorry, I have strong takes on spectator etiquette at a sporting event, most of them probably piping hot. Given my staunch support for the dad and his kid in this scenario, my most unpopular opinion—not even just about baseball, but about life—may come as a surprise.

I don't think someone who catches a home run ball should be expected to hand it over to a child.

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