Insane sports groupies (men)

[Zoning Goddess]

Today my son and I went to an Atlanta Braves spring-training game at Disney. We made the mistake of sitting in our seats, two rows off the field, about 1/2 hr before the game. A Braves player stopped to autograph the ball of a boy in the front row and we were suddenly overrun by rabid "fans", mostly grown men, climbing over the rows of seats, and us, to get an autograph. People were stepping on me, my son, I was shoving teenagers off of us, our burgers and drinks were kicked away, we were cussed at for being in the way, etc. I finally grabbed my child, and screamed bloody murder until I was able to haul him over several row of seats and find an employee who called security.

Is this a guy thing? Is this normal? Was there a higher percentage than normal of repressed jocks there?

[sisterceleste]

Greetings to ZG from Lower Alabama from SC and VD.

It is a guy thing. Be glad a fly ball did not come your way. You short people would not have made it out alive.

[AubieTurtle]

People are dumb at sporting events. I can't count the number of times I've been at a hockey game and seen people spill their $4.50 cola and $7 nachos trying to catch an el cheapo tshirt show from an air cannon.

Then again, I once came away from a particularly rowdy college football celebration with the windshield wiper off a police cruiser unlucky enough to be stuck in the middle of the crowd. In my defense, I wasn't the one who actually de-wipered the police car but yeah, people do stupid things when it comes to sports.

[Trail Nazi]

I agree with SC that it is definitely a guy thing. I guess the sports groupies are just like the girls who go insane over boy bands.

BTW, SC - T'hassee is not lower Alabama. Lower Alabama is further west in the panhandle. Or are you truly skipping your training? Hmmm........

[The Irish One]

I'm thinking repressed jock, but yes a guy thing. I don't get it at all.

[Rumpy Tunanator]

Most of them just want their stuff autographed so they can sell it to a local sports shop or on ebay. I remember getting trampled by some guy at a local baseball game when I was a kid. Freaks.

[Gedunker]

Definitely a sub-culture of the sports fan -- the autograph hound / collector. The players have begun to realize these idiots are out there and try (as the player did in your case) to autograph for kids. Problem is, these jerks now use kids to get the autographs, and wild melees as you described are not uncommon.

Personally, I love baseball and the St. Louis Cardinals, but I am not about to subject myself or my kids to the craze for an autograph. Players come and go, but the game means so much more.

Stadium personnel need to do a better job protecting fans from idiots as you desccribed.

[mendelman]

ZG:

In your case it was probably immature and stupid grwon men, which is very unfortunate.

You should gotten your son to a safe loaction and then kick the crap out of the jerks. Preferably kicking their nuts as often as possible.

[Seabishop]

How much of a sissy does a grown man have to be to go all ga-ga over a ball player? Leave that sort of behavior for the 13 year old girls fainting at the sight of Justin Timberlake.

[The Irish One]

How much of a sissy does a grown man have to be to go all ga-ga over a ball player?

Amen, it's all very emasculating.

[Downtown]

We just had 9 parents arrested at a Squirt League Hockey tournament in one of the suburban towns - 4 women and 5 men, for fighting! WTF?!?