For young fans at a ballgame, there aren’t many cooler experiences than getting an autograph from a big-league player. There’s no intention to flip the autograph for a profit. It’s just a genuine moment where young fans get to connect with their favorite players and head home with a keepsake.
But once you hit the age where you’re actually older than some of the players, it’s a good time to stop chasing autographs. And it’s never a good look to compete with actual children for those autographs.
So, with all that in mind, you can understand why MLB fans were not happy to see pre-All-Star Game video of an older Padres fan — with two baseballs in hand — physically jockeying for position to get autographs from Justin Verlander. At one point, this guy elbowed a kid who took issue with how he was reaching over.
Took getting an autograph to another level 😅#AllStarGame pic.twitter.com/vbaaxYGWvj
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 19, 2022
While big-league players try to avoid signing for the obvious profit-seeking adult, it’s never a good look to see an adult fan push away children all in the hopes of scoring an autograph. It looked like an Impractical Jokers bit because, well, Impractical Jokers did a similar prank five years ago with the Mets.
But it appeared to be real this time.
Don’t be that fan.