What would you have done? Obnoxious kids at a baseball game [RANT]

[Marcster]

So tonight my wife and I went with another couple and their 2 children to a Reading Phillies (http://www.readingphillies.com/) game (AA level).

The seats were pretty full, but the main characters in this rant are the three H.S.-aged kids and one of the kid's Mom who were seated directly in front of us.

I should've known the type of night I was in for when one of the kids started mock-singing the Star Spangled Banner. I tried my best to ignore it, and concentrate on the woman singing with the mic and ignore the jerk in front of me. Normally, I get goosebumps when I hear someone sing the National Anthem (and hit all the notes), and the woman with the mic was pretty darn good tonight, and then we had this idiot singing off-key and chuckling to his buddys, you know what I'm talking about. Other parent-aged people were giving this guy dirty looks, he just kept singing.

In my 33 years, I've heard people sing along softly to themselves, and I'm perfectly o.k. with that, but I've never heard someone do their best to DESTROY our National Anthem by mocking it and belting it out in their loudest off-key singing voice for everyone 8 rows away to hear!!!

So let's call this jerk "Singer" -- he was definitely the leader of the gang.

He continued his innappropriate garbage shouting out incredibly stupid things like:
"You GOTTA catch those, [player's name]" when a foul went into the stands
"Let's go, Dolphins" (when the opposing team was the Bowie Baysox)
"Good call, Ump" (on calls that were wrong -- for either team)
You get the idea... All while his buddies were laughing.

At one point, they left for food and one of our friends said something to the Mom. She said one of the boys was hers, but "Singer" wasn't -- he was just a friend of her kid's.

They returned with their food and continued their childish yelling... I did catch a few other couples talking about how rude these kids were.

We did our best to ignore it, but what would you have done??? (answer the poll)

[Melz]

I voted to smack him in the head accidentally. Or perhaps it would have been something you didn't mention. But I am always always alllllllllllllllways obvious in my distaste for assholes, and I commonly embarrass folks (not kids of course) I am with when I am blunt about it. No physical harm, just a tad bit of harrassment, in the equal level the guy was presenting to the people sitting near him. It would have been non stop after that :) Yes that sounds bratty but it would have been irresistable and I have no patience for arseholes.

[Rink]

I voted to go to the Usher to get the idiot to stop.

When its from an 'official' sometimes kids will shut up if not they then should be ejected from the game.

THAT might then wise em up.

[Beowulf]

I voted to get an usher BUT if I heard them desecrating the Anthem, I would have rebuked them quite harshly!

[UhUhNoWay]

I chose something you haven't mentioned, LOL I probably would have said something ABOUT the singer, loudly...something as if I seriously believed he was special ed. Once his friends are laughing @ him not with him, he'd probably change his tune...It's all about being 'cool' at that age...and having an older person crack on him 'unintentionally' might've cooled his jets.

[UnkHiram]

My family used to attend alot of Texas Rangers Games (Class AA pretending to be big league), one of the reasons we stopped going is because I got tired of this type of behaviour. My policy was always to confront the idiots with a healthy dose of pity. For example after they yelled go Dolphins "That's allright son, I know how easy it is to get confused. THis is not a football game, the Dolphins are not playing. This is baseball, you can tell by the big wooden stick the batter is using."

[The_RANDy_Corporation]

Smacking the brat in the head only risks you a felony charge.

I would have spoken bluntly and forcefully to the brat and if that didn't solve it, get the usher. Life is too short to have to suffer morons. The "mom" should lose her mother license.

[BEST45CAL]

I'd yell to him: Hey, I bet if your d**k was as big as your mouth, you'd have a woman with you instead of your boyfriends.

THEN get the usher or security or whatever.

[Suzie]

On the home page this poll reads. "In the same situation what would you have done?" There isn't a clue as to what the would be voting on.

[TechnoPrincess]

I voted for getting the usher. However, while I sent my hubby to do that, I would have made some comment like UhUh suggested.

[Tumblehome]

He was being disruptive, and by the sound of it may have been drunk. He was hampering those around him from enjoying the game. Get the usher. Have him warned and if need be, ejected.

[Marcster]

My family used to attend alot of Texas Rangers Games (Class AA pretending to be big league), one of the reasons we stopped going is because I got tired of this type of behaviour. My policy was always to confront the idiots with a healthy dose of pity. For example after they yelled go Dolphins "That's allright son, I know how easy it is to get confused. THis is not a football game, the Dolphins are not playing. This is baseball, you can tell by the big wooden stick the batter is using."

You know, I never even thought of that one! :thumb: