What is it about adults failing to remember that the eyes of the world are watching them at sporting games? We've all heard the phrase about taking candy from a baby, but it doesn't mean you should do it. For the second time in as many weeks, there's been an embarrassing incident where it looks like an adult has stolen a sporting memento from a young child and has been more than happy with their actions.
In the aftermath of the CEO of paving company Drogbruk apologizing after he appeared to snatch a signed hat belonging to Kamil Majchrzak from a young boy, the so-called Phillies Karen has gone viral for a similar incident at a Philadelphia Phillies baseball match.
There were cheers around the grounds as the Phillies' Harrison Bader hit an impressive home run into the crowd, and as numerous bystanders rushed to grab the ball, Drew Feltwell swooped in from the side to grab it for his son.
Who is Phillies Karen?
At the time of writing, the woman known as 'Phillies Karen' hasn't been identified.
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That hasn't stopped the internet from trying to track her down, with many incorrectly pointing to a woman called Cheryl Richardson-Wagner. After hunting down her Facebook page, Richardson-Wagner says she was bombarded with hateful messages. Seeming to take it on the chin, she posted a statement that read: "Ok everyone... I'm NOT the crazy Philly Mom (but I sure would love to be as thin as she is and move as fast)... and I'm a Red Sox fan."
To prove her point, she even changed her cover photo to the Boston Red Sox crest.
Responding to a friend, Richardson-Wagner wrote: "Apparently I am trending on Twitter. I wonder if I will get apologies from all of these people when the real culprit is discovered??"
Another woman was wrongly accused of being Phillies Karen, forcing the Hammonton School District to speak out on September 6. Similarly sensationalist rumors claimed a woman called Leslie-Ann Kravitz was an administrator in the district and had been let go from her position.
A message posted on the district Facebook explained: "The woman identified on social media as 'Phillies Karen' is not, and has never been an employee of the Hammonton Public Schools located in Hammonton, New Jersey. Social media and news reports indicating that she is, are incorrect."
They also managed to find the lighter side of the accusations, stating: "Anyone who works for our school district, attended as a student or lives in our community would have obviously caught the ball bare-handed in the first place, avoiding this entire situation."
Is Phillies Karen banned from sports games?
If the woman is ever properly identified, it seems rumors about her not being able to attend Eagles’ football games could also be wrong. The rumor mill went into overdrive on Facebook, claiming that Philadelphia Eagles CEO Jeffret Lurie has banned her.
The post said: "In addition, he sent a warning to the entire Eagles sports fan community: ‘Anyone who is competitive, aggressive, and disregards mutual respect – like the woman in the recent incident, is…” It instructed people to 'read more', suggesting it was a real news story, although we'd warn against clicking strange links.
Currently, the only people to speak out on the fracas are the Feltwell family.
Drew Feltwell has explained what happened when the woman hurled 'vulgar' language at him, while Lincoln Feltwell says he hopes the ball means a lot to her. It all worked out best in the end, and with Bader later presenting Lincoln with a signed bat, we're sure it's taken a bit of the sting out of the situation.