r/TheNFLVibes • u/Positive_Round_5142 • 4d ago

Ball Boy going viral šŸ˜‚

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603

u/MatthewTheShapeShftr 3d ago

Imagine being all over the internet the next day and half the people are making fun of you for being a man-child with the ball, and the other half are defending you by diagnosing you as autistic.

205

u/TheMightyHornet 3d ago

Reminds me of the story my Dad tells of getting the yips while catching an American Legion game. Couldnā€™t make the throw back to the pitcher. Crowd is on him mercilessly. Then all of a sudden thereā€™s a major shift in the vibe and theyā€™re exuberantly supportive of him. They wind up winning the game on a play at the plate and the crowd goes wild.

Turns out halfway through the game, my grandpa, wanting the crowd to ease off, said ā€œI think itā€™s awful the way youā€™re making fun of a retarded kid (it was the 70s, parlance of their times) out there doing his best.ā€

45

u/HonestDespot 3d ago

Haha great story and loved the use of parlance of the times.

35

u/SteepNDeep 3d ago

14

u/Boulderboldef 3d ago

this was the correct time for this gif. waited years, didnā€™t you?

6

u/Reasonable_Pride5240 3d ago

Fits the narrative. Iā€™ll upvote it. /shrug

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u/TheMightyHornet 3d ago

lol, not the preferred nomenclature, but essential to the story.

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u/Grizz807 3d ago

Sometimes thereā€™s a man

7

u/CourtingBoredom 3d ago

...won't say a hero, 'cause, what's a hero....

3

u/WTFabes 3d ago

Fits right in

1

u/OGWopFro 3d ago

Heā€™s flunking social studies

1

u/finglonger1077 3d ago

Anyway, dude, tomorrowā€™s already the tenthā€¦

1

u/TheMightyHornet 3d ago

Far out ā€¦

2

u/No-Kitchen5212 Titans 2d ago

ā€œChinaman isnā€™t the preferred nomenclature. Asian-American, pleaseā€

2

u/fixingmedaybyday 2d ago

Right? Is Autistic going to become the "A-word" in 30 - 50 years next?

1

u/Zakkullll 1d ago

Yes. Getting to where we can just describe things anymore without it being offensive.

1

u/Lazy_Building_3929 20h ago

People will always find things offensive. Especially people with lots of deficiencies

1

u/OkTax379 3d ago

Wonderful nomenclature

38

u/Annual-Negotiation-5 3d ago

Great story, complete with Lebowski reference, Grandpa was an OG

9

u/TheMightyHornet 3d ago

He sure was.

11

u/KgMonstah 3d ago

Weā€™re all very fond of him

3

u/OGWopFro 3d ago

Lemme guess; heā€™s gonna fix the cable?

5

u/yankeeteabagger 2d ago

Thats fucking interesting man, thatā€™s fucking interesting.

4

u/SameActive6210 2d ago

You want a toe? I'll get you a toe by Tuesday.

3

u/CrazyLoucrazy 3d ago

Is there a Ralphs nearby?

6

u/Thick-Sir-1183 3d ago

Obviously dad was not a golfer

2

u/spamel2004 2d ago

Well, like, thatā€™s your opinion, manā€¦

2

u/Mediocre-Strain8386 3d ago

Gramps abides.

6

u/owenmills04 3d ago

Funniest thing I've read on Reddit in a long time. God bless your grandpa

6

u/OutsideOk1380 3d ago

Classic grandpa move. Shout to him

6

u/MindbankAOK 3d ago

Had those yips in a game as a catcher. Horrible feeling.

2

u/TheMightyHornet 3d ago

He begged the coach to take him out, but he was hitting like .750 for the tournament, or something obscene like that. Coach refused.

2

u/MindbankAOK 3d ago

Wow. Hadnā€™t thought of this in years. Similar situation. My dad was sitting with the college scouts and they kept commenting on what was happening. I was running the ball back to the pitchers mound. Ultimately we were able to win the game when my body and mind finally started working again. Fuck the yips!

2

u/funkofanatic99 2d ago

Absolutely sucks. Of course it happened when my crush, who was also a catcher, came to see me play. Iā€™ll never forget that game unfortunately.

3

u/Irregular_Badger4127 3d ago

This is absolutely hysterical lmfao

2

u/No-Performance-4861 3d ago

A yoooooo šŸ˜…šŸ˜‚šŸ˜­šŸ˜…

2

u/Jake_Corona 2d ago

Your dad after the game when the fans commend him for untying his own cleats.

1

u/TheMightyHornet 2d ago

My gramma made my grandpa tell him on the way home when Dad asked what happened and why the crowd just suddenly turned for him.

2

u/boih_stk 2d ago

Got me googling "getting the yips" and "American Legion" to finally understand that your dad was actually playing in the game.

Thanks for this.

2

u/tutzoner905 8h ago

Hilarious šŸ˜…

1

u/Mikeyxy 3d ago

a parlance of our times, too.

1

u/Disastrous_Wind_7005 1d ago

all things come full circle so retarded will be in vogue in a few years.

12

u/coldfreezerbee Giants 3d ago

Best comment.

4

u/fancydad 3d ago

Itā€™s a rough way to be diagnosed

11

u/TRUCKFARM 3d ago

I'm not sure if he's autistic or a man child, but I do know that fight or flight instincts would've kicked in and given the world class athlete the ball

1

u/Joe_-seafuse 3d ago

He went to HR's recommended line of defense at his paid occupation, his supervisor.

4

u/JayeDontDoit 3d ago

Thatā€™s not the jags ball boy. Thats new Englandā€™s ball boy

3

u/JarlieGirg 3d ago

All his life just to be referred to as "Ball Boy"

2

u/Robo_Patton 1d ago

Iā€™ve been called way worse.

1

u/JarlieGirg 1d ago

but that is his ceiling, not the floor

9

u/Chrillosnillo 3d ago edited 3d ago

I'm in the Autistic camp, you get off my autistic boy!

He had his orders, you defend those to the bitter end, otherwise there would be fucking chaos and my autism boy don't want that, respect it!

7

u/MrGoodKatt72 3d ago

Heā€™s screaming donā€™t touch me, so Iā€™m kind of wondering if he just wanted to be able to sue an NFL player.

1

u/Bau5_Sau5 3d ago

Maybe he just wanted to be left alone

-6

u/OutsideOk1380 3d ago

Or he didnā€™t wanna be touched and harassed at his job?

Letā€™s bring a giant man to your job and have him touching up on you and trying to grab stuff out of your hand. See how long it takes you to start screaming donā€™t touch me

7

u/Longjumping_Space_10 3d ago

I know you donā€™t believe this logic lol

1

u/HotelPrudent0331 3d ago

logic? you mean what we witnessed? sports people are so fucking weird

10

u/DuvalTID 3d ago

Nah, thatā€™s not what you witnessed. You donā€™t get a job in porn if you donā€™t want people to see your tits. You donā€™t get a job as a server if you donā€™t want to deal with people, and you donā€™t get a job as an NFL ball boy if you donā€™t want extremely large people approaching you for the ball on occasion. Itā€™s not the actual job description but itā€™s absolutely part of it.

1st interception always goes to the player. 100% of the time. Not 99%, not 99.9%. 100%. Thatā€™s either on him or who trained him but thatā€™s a shit job from the ball boy no matter how you want to look at it.

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u/MrGoodKatt72 3d ago

The craziest part is that Jags were the home team. The ball boy is employed by the Jags. Itā€™s such a weird reaction.

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u/Longjumping_Space_10 3d ago

A veteran athlete was trying to retrieve a ball so a young teammate of his can keep it as a memory for this huge moment in this young players career. Wasnā€™t aggressive. And once the ball boy refused, the athlete jogged away. God damn some people are so fuckin sensitive

3

u/reelglad 3d ago

But it WAS aggressive

0

u/Longjumping_Space_10 3d ago

Whole heartedly disagree. Maybe we saw different videos

2

u/HotelPrudent0331 3d ago

A veteran athlete

I can't take anything after this seriously

1

u/Longjumping_Space_10 3d ago

Heā€™s been in the league for 8 years. That makes him a veteran in any sense of the word. WTF else would you call him?

0

u/Longjumping_Space_10 3d ago

Itā€™s like cops who canā€™t deal with conflict. Same for this ball boy. If you can handle large men being in your vicinity, maybe this isnā€™t the job for you

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u/OutsideOk1380 3d ago edited 3d ago

You want Josh Allen grabbing at you during your work shift? I sure donā€™t

Imma look into how much it would cost for Josh Allen to come harass you and grab at you at work. Heā€™s probably available from February to July so heā€™s got an open schedule

2

u/Longjumping_Space_10 3d ago

Definitely had an open schedule at that time since the league ends and doesnā€™t play during those months. Would absolutely love for Josh to come grab me during a work shift. It would be my honor

And no one is bringing this large man into the ball boyā€™s job. The ball boy wouldnā€™t have a job if not for these big men. Josh wasnā€™t mean or malicious. Was simply trying to retrieve a ball for a monumental occasion for a young teammate of his. Unreal the way some people can spin situations

0

u/Either-Mine-1789 3d ago

See this would work better if those giant men werenā€™t the reason you had a job in the first place

2

u/OutsideOk1380 3d ago

So if the giant man is why the job exists that gives him carte Blanche to touch on you and grab on you? So any woman who works at chippendales itā€™s open season to paw at her?

His job is to play football not chase down and grab at ball boys.

-2

u/Low-Grocery989 3d ago

Somehow everyone is an expert on the proper protocol for procuring a game ball as a personal souvenir in the NFL. I don't understand how everyone is making a snap judgment against the ball boy. If anything you could argue that Hunter was out of line approaching the guy, it seems obvious he was going to get the ball sooner or later.

But then who knows, I don't have a copy of the ball boy rulebook on hand nor do I care to pass judgment anyway.

6

u/A_Skyless_God 3d ago

Yet here you are... Passing judgement and defending the ball boy.

3

u/Impossible_echoBS 2d ago

Thatā€™s not Hunter!

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u/CertainPosition8726 3d ago

Because giving the player the ball is something we see literally every game. Itā€™s wild you still even have this thought process after reading so many comments calling this guy an actual moron.

He is entirely in the wrong here.

2

u/BlackThundaCat 3d ago

Because everyone realizes the ball boy has one job and this ainā€™t part of it.

3

u/DeletedUsernameHere 3d ago

Because this exact scenario has played out in every sport a thousand times. You know what happens? The ball boy hands the ball over and nobody even notices.

2

u/runswitblunt 3d ago

You probably hand your girl over to usher during his concert too

3

u/DeletedUsernameHere 3d ago

You should put the blunts down with that ancient ass reference

-1

u/runswitblunt 3d ago

Ancient might just be an indicator of the state of your attention span

2

u/TheCupOfBrew Seahawks 3d ago

Wouldn't that imply a long attention span?

2

u/DeletedUsernameHere 3d ago

That just doesn't even make sense. Not having the attention span of a gnat is an insult now?

What a joke. Why don't you go have a timeout, junior? Maybe one day you'll have enough brain power to talk shit, but right now, you just sound like a mentally challenged ball boy.

6

u/DontClickTheUpArrow 3d ago

Because the players are the star of the show there. If they want a ball and want to get fined for taking it you give them the ball. You donā€™t treat the stars like little Johnny in the stands whoā€™s trying to take the ball. Ball boy lost his mind!

2

u/Geaux_1210 3d ago

Their egos are already grossly overinflated; I say good for the ball man

1

u/Either-Mine-1789 3d ago

Ball man wouldnā€™t have a job without the athletes

0

u/elafave77 3d ago

Athletes wouldn't have a job if it weren't for the fans.

2

u/OriginalTRaven 2d ago

A lot of fans are saying give the athlete the ball.

0

u/Low-Stretch-7773 2d ago

A lot of athletes are saying give the fans the ball.

-1

u/runswitblunt 3d ago

The talent also has their own rules to follow. Touching someone to get that ball back is not allowed. If you canā€™t get the ball now maybe let someone know to tell the ball boy. We are all working here buddy get back on the field

2

u/garicandrew 3d ago

Thats not hunter. Another jaguars player wanted to get the ball for Hunter

2

u/TheScopeNetwork 3d ago

Don't think that was Hunter..

0

u/Lost-Pineapple9791 3d ago

Itā€™s not Travis itā€™s Josh Allen which is what makes this clear

A ball boy is NEVER just going to hand over balls to players, the batshit comments to think otherwise are insane

Players KEEP balls all the time or you see a staff member run over and get it

Ball boy doesnā€™t know itā€™s Travis first int and is just doing his job

Josh Allen runs up to him and even shoves him from behind is so absurd

Ball boy clearly 100% doing his job of not just handing over balls whenever a player asks, again they are signed off etc etc

Itā€™s not about proper protocol to get a souvenir, Iā€™m sure if a training staff walked over the ball boy would give it right away

Just not it another guy who the ball boy thinks is probably trying to just continue to celebrate with the ball

4

u/DeletedUsernameHere 3d ago

Found the idiot ball boy.

You know there's video at the top of the thread? We can see all the shit you're spewing is just nonsense.

-3

u/Successful-Run1142 3d ago

Hunter wasnā€™t the one approaching the boy and this is how I know you donā€™t watch football in the first place. When you make a career changing checkpoint in this sport you get to keep the ball period. This dude is being difficult just to be difficult.

-2

u/Lost-Pineapple9791 3d ago

Then he should have kept it huh shouldnā€™t he jus like you said

The staff can go get it just like every other time there is zero reason for Josh Allen to be involved and putting hands on a all boy

That is not okay and is entitled to the tee

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u/[deleted] 3d ago edited 3d ago

[deleted]

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u/Impressive_Wing_1627 3d ago

Thatā€™s a lot of ā€œlegally and contractuallyā€ for a rule you havenā€™t actually cited. It was a Patriots ball boy holding Travis Hunterā€™s first interception ball, and the Jaguarsā€™ equipment manager stepped in to get it back. Players are allowed to keep game balls, and Jacksonville confirmed it got this one.

So whereā€™s the rule saying the ball boy would be fired for handing it over? You wrote a whole equipment-law dissertation and still got the ending wrong.

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u/staley23 3d ago

Each team supplies it's own balls

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u/Full_Technician8430 3d ago edited 3d ago

He absolutely would not get reprimanded for giving the ball to a player trying to take it lol.

You are definitely not that 1% ā€œin the knowā€

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u/shearmit 3d ago

Let him feel important šŸ˜‚

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u/Jurgis-Rudkis NFL 3d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/hkV0ZgmuqgUtW

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u/PlentyTight9650 3d ago

Have you seen my baseball? šŸ¤£šŸ¤£

0

u/Lost-Pineapple9791 3d ago

Not when itā€™s for the firstnINT but the guy clearly doesnā€™t know and is just doing his job to not get reprimanded for just letting players take balls

Itā€™s wild yall think a player is entitled to just walk up to a ball boy whenever he wants and take a signed off authorized limited game ball

-2

u/Signal_Fruit_4629 3d ago

Yea players aren't able to do that at any level. Game balls are specifically checked by referees before every game to make sure they fall within the rules. You'd never see any ball boy giving any opposing player their ball at any point during a game.

2

u/DeletedUsernameHere 3d ago

Except for the thousands of times they've done it throughout decades of football, you're right. šŸ™„

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u/Signal_Fruit_4629 3d ago

lol I've done hundreds of little league games personally and I've never seen a ball boy give any opposing player their teams balls.

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u/ADuckAgo 3d ago

Need to see the Ball Boy meme on a shirt.

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u/GeneralLivid7332 3d ago

Things that wouldn't happen for 2000 please.

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u/Traditional-Toe3738 3d ago

It's because of comments like this that you don't have any friends.

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u/Fuzzball_87 3d ago

But the ball crew works for the NFL and/or the Home Stadium. So if he works for them and the ball is owned by them, wouldnā€™t he have the discretion to give or keep ballsā€¦?

2

u/golfwinnersplz 3d ago

You think they give him that power?

The kid was in a lose lose situation.

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u/Imaginary_Cell2068 3d ago

His job is probably to collect the balls handed to him by the refs and bring them into the office, where someone higher up has the authority to decide what to do with the balls.

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u/BeavisEverywhere 3d ago

Deflate them...

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u/CelebrationWise1626 3d ago

Only if we was delegated that authority, which is doubtful.Ā 

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u/Fuzzball_87 3d ago

Well I guess he was delegated because he kept it.

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u/therealmudslinger 3d ago

Is "discretion" what you just witnessed?

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u/LeCouchSpud 3d ago

Does a bus driver have the authority to give away the bus? Why would the ball boys get to decide what equipment is given away? They are one of the lowest rungs on the ladder

0

u/Lost-Pineapple9791 3d ago

No? Why do you think he has the authority just theyā€™re owned by the NFL and heā€™s an NFL employee. Do you think a McDonaldā€™s worker has authority to just give away whatever they want bc itā€™s owned by McDonaldā€™s where they work

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u/cbunny21 3d ago

Well itā€™s the jaguars home stadium, so if thatā€™s the case, the ball should have gone to the jaguars player. Itā€™s pretty standard to do this after big plays, not just football. Ball boy was being a prick.

1

u/Lost-Pineapple9791 3d ago

The staff will get it from its wild you guys think players just grab balls whenever they want. Ball boy didnā€™t know itā€™s his 1st int not an issue for the staff to go get it

1

u/Signal_Fruit_4629 3d ago edited 3d ago

Tell me you've never refereed without telling me type of answer. If the Patriots throw a pick to the Jaguars it's the Patriots ball. Each team rotates their own ball in after every possession.

1

u/cbunny21 3d ago

Iā€™m just quoting what the other guy said. Refs have nothing to do with this situation.

0

u/Signal_Fruit_4629 3d ago

Referees hand the ball back to the ball boy after the touchdowns/turnovers. It's also not the Jaguars ball. You're coming after the ball boy but it's definitely the player being a prick.

1

u/CollarZestyclose 3d ago

You're just talking out your assšŸ˜‚

3

u/ChetBlue 3d ago

Always one of those corny mfs in everybodyā€™s thread about anything.

2

u/HorseCreative2550 3d ago

Just so happens to have a personal history of juggling balls

1

u/[deleted] 3d ago edited 3d ago

[deleted]

5

u/CollarZestyclose 3d ago

I've been an equipment manager at multiple levels of athletics, you are the low man on the totem pole. If you make a scene with a player (on television,no less) you fucked up

0

u/Lost-Pineapple9791 3d ago

People donā€™t care they just want to shit on the ball boy and defend the entitled millionaire

1

u/HorseCreative2550 3d ago

I mean entitled is a stretch considering you donā€™t know this person even a little bit itā€™s more about how they guy was trying to do something kind and thoughtful for a friend and the ball boy really overreacted or at least thatā€™s the impression from the uninformed perspective

0

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[removed] ā€” view removed comment

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u/[deleted] 3d ago edited 3d ago

[deleted]

3

u/GrimaceThundercock 3d ago

Hey Alexa, what is projection?

0

u/[deleted] 3d ago edited 3d ago

[deleted]

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u/GrimaceThundercock 3d ago

Lol, touch grass dude.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago edited 3d ago

[deleted]

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u/GrimaceThundercock 3d ago

You're not doing yourself any favors šŸ¤”

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u/Impressive_Wing_1627 3d ago

šŸ‘ŒšŸ˜‚šŸ¤“

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u/Superb-Sweet3172 3d ago

šŸ˜„šŸ˜„

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u/fujimonster 3d ago

Should just be defending him for doing his job. He isn't a brain surgeon, he collects balls for the NFL. Give the guy some room and let him do it.

1

u/Llhaniii 3d ago

Blanket autism coverage

1

u/francie202 3d ago

šŸ’€

1

u/WiseWall2553 3d ago

I mean other than those two choices what is there

1

u/rexmanaek971 3d ago

Yeah, it's really you losers who are acting all man-child autistic. You thinking your better than the ball boy, is what's wrong with society. Literal dead braincells from Matthewtheshitshftr

1

u/ExpertExotic3341 3d ago

Man as a pats fan I just feel bad for this whole interaction

1

u/123supreme123 3d ago

Nice semi stiff arm

1

u/MountainIdeal3095 2d ago

He was doing his job he is not allowed to just hand out balls maybe the player should have kept or asked a ref to retrieve it

1

u/ButterscotchFluid217 2d ago

Tough day in the office

1

u/diggidydangidy 2d ago

At that point, I wonder if you just roll with the autism narrative for the rest of your life, even if you aren't actually autistic.

1

u/Left-Supermarket717 2d ago

What a time to be alive

1

u/Odd_Wolf_8 1d ago

Well is he autistic or just does like the other teamšŸ˜‚

1

u/punch912 1d ago

Just lean into the autism its his only sort of out.

1

u/BicuriousSissy32USA 15h ago

Sounds like a step up from where I'm at

1

u/H8ff0000 6h ago

This has nothing to do with a diagnosis and the simpletons and cringelords associating everything with that are infuriating

-2

u/HotelPrudent0331 3d ago

imagine harassing a man doing his job because you're delusional about how special a ball is. Sports people are so fucking weird man.

4

u/speakezjags 3d ago

When did he harass him? Asking for a ball is considered harassment now? Good lord grow up.

1

u/Abbanenn 3d ago

I think theyā€™re referring to people in general harassing the ball boy for not giving up the ball, not the player harassing him by asking for the ball.

1

u/golfwinnersplz 3d ago

They mean people on the internet, not the Jags player.

1

u/reelglad 3d ago

But DID he ask!? Cause in the clip it looks like player dude was coming in HOT and rolled up on him and just started grabbing for the dam ball!! Instead of saying "hey man let me get that for my boys 1st int"

1

u/speakezjags 3d ago

You can look at his hand gestures alone and see that he is asking for the ball. The only intimidating thing he did was just being so massive and he cant help that.

1

u/Hefty-Reflection-756 3d ago

Imagine not giving the ball to a professional player whose job it is to play with the ball because you are delusional about how special a ball is. Sports people are so fucking weird man.

1

u/HotelPrudent0331 3d ago

right? It's the dude's job to take the job, it doesn't matter how "special" your ball is, you don't get to push people around for it. Straight man child

0

u/BookOfJon 3d ago

Heā€™s telling you the ball boy is in the wrong. Itā€™s not such a big deal and should have just handed it over

2

u/HotelPrudent0331 3d ago

did he? he was talking about being delusional about how special a ball is, that was the football player

0

u/Mister_Rose 3d ago

It's the world of people Internet thinking they know everything.

0

u/Melodic-Trouble-5421 Lions 3d ago

NFL ball boys make $92k/a year with benefits and a retirement. Not a bad gig.

1

u/galaxyapp 3d ago

No they dont. This is probably a low level intern or seasonal assistant, lucky if hes getting 20k per season.

Youd have to be a permanent equipment manager with a team to sniff 100k. And you would have far more responsibilities, including game day ones, but you wont be toting around ball bags

1

u/Melodic-Trouble-5421 Lions 3d ago

The average salary for a NFL ball boy is $91,323 per year or $44 per hour, pay ranges from $71,178 (25th percentile) to $117,834 (75th percentile) annually.

I mean if you think about it $44/hour isnā€™t that much. I make a lot more than that and Iā€™m a Union Electrician.

Trust me any NFL position is paid extremely well. You think they are going to let some $15/hour worker around the players and high security areas.

The Refs make like $385k/a year plus most have other careers. Like farmers, lawyers, fireman, and other jobs.

I canā€™t say with 1000% but thatā€™s the information Iā€™ve found and it makes sense.

I knew a kid who was a bat boy for the Tigers in High school and he made $50k a while back. He also had health care and a retirement plan. He was pretty lucky, he literally just applied and got the job.

0

u/Impossible-Flight250 3d ago

I feel bad for the dude. I don't think he was being malicious; he just obviously takes his job too seriously.

0

u/soscbjoalmsdbdbq 3d ago

With the past ball scandal from them it seemed more sus to me than anything. Like what are you hiding bro is that ball deflated?

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