Foul Balls! (When fans step out-of-bounds)

Cam Newton hangin' out with Common & Young Jeezy in the off-season.

Have you ever had someone tell you that they met some professional athlete out somewhere that was unbelievably obnoxious? Then they go on to tell you how big of a jerk the guy was because he wouldn't talk to them or that he was too stuck up to stop and take a picture. He wouldn't even sign my kid’s jersey or his ball etc. We've all had those types of conversations or better yet some of you were the person telling the  freakin' story. However, as we all know there are always 3 sides to every story; his, yours and some where closer to his we find the truth.

Let's keep it real or all the way 100, which ever comes first! The vast majority of the time fans are way too intrusive bruh! Professional athletes for the most part are regular cats that do regular things like regular folks. They just want to live their lives just like you and I. I've got several friends that have retired from the NFL, NBA and MLB that are and have always been just regular cats.

I've been covering the NBA and NFL for the past few years so I've been up close and personal with the current players in the locker rooms before and after games. It's like going into any other locker room whether it’s high school or college. The guys are still the guys! They joke, laugh and have their quiet time. The major difference however, is that there is more media present and professional athletes make millions of dollars so therefore they’re not very trusting of people that they don’t know.

I remember the first time I set foot in the Pacers locker room! Every player I approached gave me the “What’s this guy up to” look. It’s the same look you give the guy that’s way too friendly to you outside of the grocery store. When you give him the, “he’s about to ask me for some money and I ain’t got nothing for him” look. Yeah that joint!

Even though I was "Suited & Booted" with media credentials they gave me the up and down like I was breaking and entering the joint. However, it took a little time for boyz to start opening up to me and now it's all good because they figured out that I'm a regular cat too.

With all of that being said, now put yourself in the shoes of the athlete. Everybody recognizes you and knows how much money you make because when you signed the major deal it was all over TV and the internet. Now you’re out somewhere eating dinner with your girl and someone interrupts you and wants an autograph in the middle of your steak. So you oblige and then they want pictures too. Not only that, they want you to meet their whole family all while your girl and steak are getting cold. Keep in mind this the sixth time it’s happened since you've set down playboy. At some point the next guy has to get shut down, right?

"Hey Jay, you're a JERK too!"

Unfortunately, that’s the guy telling all of his co-workers the next morning how much of a jerk you were to him last night at dinner. He’s never going to support you again and he’s thrown your jersey away etc. Now ya’ll know how I feel about grown men in jerseys anyway so that’s not a bad thing if he throws that joint out.

I'm not saying that you can't ask a boy for an autograph or a picture but as a fan you've got to be able to read the situation and understand that just because you're in front of the guy it’s not always appropriate to climb all over him. Remember what I said earlier, he's a regular cat! It's OK to give him a pound and keep it moving! Before I go any further, what are you going to do with his autograph anyway? Unless you’re a kid you can’t ask another man for his name, I’m sorry. That's the ultimate groupie move. Well... other than wearing his name on your back.

You don't have to hold a conversation with a dun just because you think you need to. You don't even know him bruh! So what do you have to talk to him about other than saying, "Keep up the good work!", "I completely respect your skills" or "Hey man good luck next game?"

How would you like it if some cat that you didn't know ran up on you at dinner and wouldn't stop talking? You'd get irritated too! Where I'm from they call that a foul ball playboy! We'll pro athletes are regular cats and they get irritated too, regardless of their celebrity. So the next time you want to jam a boy up think about what Ya Boy just broke down to you, give him a pound and keep it moving! How would you like it if they went to work today and told everybody that you were a jerk because you interrupted their dinner and would let them spend some time with their girl!

And please don't run that lame line down to me, "I pay their salary so I can bother them all day if I want to." The owner pays their salary pimp! You just pay the owner for services rendered! You bought a ticket to the game that you wanted to watch and bought that freakin' crazy looking jersey and hat too. You got what you paid for and that doesn't include harassing some dune at dinner or at the mall. Stop me when I start lyin'!

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
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