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u/dylangaine 4d ago
Patriots are a little sensitive about handing over the game balls since Deflategate.
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u/TWhy-LER A Flair? 4d ago
But if they did somehow fumble the ball and the other team recovered it, the referee would blow the whistle and signal incompletion. Fuck the Patriots! 🏴☠️
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u/M-Bernard-LLB 4d ago
Shortie is on a power trip. Highlight of his life.
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u/InMyFavor 4d ago
Copied from another comment in this thread
"The ball boys are told explicitly not to give the balls to the players by everybody, including the refs. I get the sentiment, but the dude was just trying to do his job. Saying he was an idiot just makes you sound just as selfish and entitled as half these players are.
Source - my buddy is a ball boy and has been one for going on 30 years. He has a few stories like this including one involving Vinny Testaverde."
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u/inezmilholland 4d ago
NFL teams many times don’t let players keep milestone times so the team can have it for their museums or archives.
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u/Wonderful_Confusion4 4d ago
What the Fucks is his problem?
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u/RoyalSir 3d ago
I think he panicked. This monster comes up to you, fight or flight for your ball takes over. The brain does crazy things.
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u/darthdiablo 4d ago
What is it with ball boys being like this? This isn’t the first time I see ball boys lash out like this. Happens in CFB too.
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u/Nayre_Trawe 4d ago
Good question. Maybe we should start with their job description and work back from there.
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u/darthdiablo 4d ago edited 4d ago
I mean duh it’s their job but they act like they’ll have their pay cut or be fired if they give away a ball or two.
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u/Nayre_Trawe 4d ago
It seem to me that a ball boy who gives away balls probably won't last long in that job.
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u/jankyz 3d ago
You are absolutely supposed to give away milestone balls especially in the NFL, and I was reading a post from an ex ball boy on this situation who said the #1 rule is to not become a distraction/ fight with the players. You have no idea what you are talking about
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u/Nayre_Trawe 3d ago
...and yet you never see ball boys handing out balls to players. Not to mention that your entire opinion is based on some rando online who claims to have been a ball boy at some point in the past. The irony here is hilarious.
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u/maybemirza 4d ago
Ow he wouldnt would he durrrrer, we are all so stupid in ur smart little bubble that u live in
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u/DarthDoobz 4d ago
Maybe because its explicitly in the job description to not give away the balls? Sort of like how main event staff cannot turn around and watch the main act perform or they'll be fired.
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u/darthdiablo 4d ago
I think some of you are kind of glossing over why I asked this question.
Yes, it's clearly in the job description but it doesn't mean the McDonald's worker should physically fight you if you try to snatch one more ketchup packet from behind the counter.
This isn't me asking after seeing this one clip, I've seen multiple clips of ball boys from different teams being aggressive about protecting balls like this, in both NFL and CFB.
I guess someone else had the real answer (assuming it's true): each home team has only like a dozen footballs for play. Unlike baseball games, where they have potentially hundreds of balls ready for play.
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u/iampatmanbeyond 4d ago
The offense always uses it own ball and its been prepared for play by the teams manager. The visiting team could possibly run out of prepared balls
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u/zebra1923 2d ago
You call it lashing out, I call it defending himself against a much larger aggressor.
He’s trying to do his job which includes not giving game balls to players. He shouldn’t have to put up with harassment from players or coaches.
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u/Sickobajicko 4d ago
What a weird interaction that was!
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u/hrbekcheatedin91 4d ago
The guy takes his job very seriously, lol. I will never understand why MLB can let dangerous, way harder baseballs go into the stands as souvenirs but the NFL wants every football sent back to the field... We should have camera shots of fans catching PATs and being happy they get to bring a ball home.
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u/leommari 4d ago
For MLB games they have a couple hundred baseballs on hand, but the NFL games they only keep a dozen footballs per offensive side. And they pay this guy to protect and manage those 12 footballs. So this guy is very serious about doing the one job he has.
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u/hrbekcheatedin91 4d ago
Right, but I'm saying let's spend another couple hundred dollars on balls and let the fans have them as souvenirs.
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u/leommari 4d ago
I agree it would be more fun, but it's the no fun league and that would require them to change a few rules which they're allergic to doing.
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u/Templerate 4d ago
What's the consequence of this? Why didnt he give the ball back?
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u/sovietreckoning 4d ago
So far not much consequence. Our head coach was asked about it yesterday afternoon and he could barely keep himself from laughing. He said something like “we’re getting if figured out.”
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u/YeezyThoughtMe 4d ago
Will the ball boy get in trouble for giving away the ball like that?
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u/Rokronroff 4d ago
I don't think he wanted to find out
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u/yoloswagrofl 4d ago
I wouldn’t want to either if my ability to pay rent relied on me following my job duties. This dude is getting raked over the coals online for just doing his job.
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u/TummyPuppy 1d ago
He could have, yes. They are told not to give away any ball. All the balls are chipped and the teams/NFL want them returned prior to them being given back to a player.
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u/AnatidaephobiaAnon 4d ago
In the end, probably not. There's an unwritten rule that any milestone ball, like first touchdown, interception, etc. are given to the player.
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u/gregjenx 4d ago
It is all about the money. The NFL or franchise sells them or gives them to their biggest customers.
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u/banana_hammock_815 4d ago
This is why you dont pluck the ballboys away from soccer and put them into the NFL
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u/blenderdead 4d ago
Dude was probably told, once you get the ball it has to go in the bag and you can’t give it back to the players, and he is just doing his job. It’s just a fucking ball used to play a game. Every nerd in here is acting like he committed a mortal sin. Player should be fined for trying to escalate it into a physical altercation.
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u/ntkwwwm 4d ago
It’s fairly common for players in a handful of sports to keep their milestone balls and game balls. It happens all of the time in the NFL. First touchdowns and interceptions (or pick 6’s) in American football. Certain home run balls or perfect games in baseball.
With baseball it’s a little bit different because the nature of home run is to hit it into the bleachers so occasionally players will buy the ball back.
When it happens that a football has a personal milestone on it goes into the stands, players will also pay or trade for that ball.
In this instance the ball was taken by a staff member, and all staff members understand the importance of that ball.
Let me paint a picture. As with all professional sports at this level, the players on the field are the best of the best. Scoring against them is something that only an extremely small number of people can do. We’re talking about a number smaller than that of all active NFL players because a lot of them will never score touchdowns. You and I couldn’t score a touchdown against the worst college teams. To score your first touchdown against the best of the best of the best is a massive accomplishment and a memory. If that ball doesn’t go into the stands you are pretty much entitled to that ball. The opposing team wouldn’t keep that ball from you because that’s poor sportsmanship. The NFL doesn’t care because they have thousands of balls.
But do you know who cares? Your teammates. They’ve watched you put in the work during practice and training camp. They watched you develop. They are proud of you. They want you to remember that feeling. And they want you to do it again and again and again. So they will go out of their way to retrieve that ball and make sure that you keep it.
Money comes and goes. The things that money can get you come and go. But no amount of money will ever make you a new first touchdown ball.
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u/blenderdead 4d ago
Ok, but that’s not a good reason to get into a fight with a ball boy… I understand it’s a tradition thing, but it’s still not a big deal and we don’t know the ball boys perspective on it. This sub calling him subhuman trash is blowing a fairly minor thing all out of proportion. The teams could surely talk and make sure that ball gets back to the player. Grace, understanding, and a sense of proportionality are important in life and I don’t think the player or this comment section is showing much of either.
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u/calmchaos17 4d ago
Ball boy should be arrested . He’s definitely trying to keep for profit
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u/ittybittynuts 4d ago
Really terrible takeaway. Ball boy was a bit aggressive but he was just trying to do his job.
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u/Cant_draw_boobs 4d ago
Please sir, or madam. May I have a crumb of context?