The 'Phillies Karen' has sparked national outrage. What does the hatred say about us? Charles Trepany, USA TODAYSeptember 10, 2025 at 8:15 PM 653 Unless you live under a rock without internet, you've probably seen the video. A baseball flies into the stands during a Phillies game.
- - The 'Phillies Karen' has sparked national outrage. What does the hatred say about us?
Charles Trepany, USA TODAYSeptember 10, 2025 at 8:15 PM
653
Unless you live under a rock without internet, you've probably seen the video.
A baseball flies into the stands during a Phillies game. A bunch of fans go to get it. A man ends up grabbing it and bringing it to his kid − they hug. Then, a woman walks up to them. She and the man exchange words. He appears calm; she, irate and aggressive. In the end, he takes the ball from his son and hands it to the woman, who storms off.
The moment has gone viral online, where people are bashing the woman − dubbed "the Phillies Karen" − and defending the man. The outrage has grown so fierce that the man, Drew Feltwell, has spoken out urging the public to leave the woman alone.
Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) reacts with catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) after hitting a home run against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park.
"Please don't do anything to that lady,'' Feltwell told USA TODAY Sports on Sept. 8. "Leave it alone. You know, somebody knows her and can talk to her, that's different. But God, I don't want people breaking in their house and stuff like that. The internet already messed her up pretty good.''
Mental health experts say it's no surprise the moment has blown up in the way that it has. In addition to being dramatic, the video also serves as a lightning rod for deep-rooted feelings of injustice and inequality permeating society more broadly, they say.
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"A lot of people are feeling disenfranchised and feeling not counted," psychotherapist Stephanie Sarkis says. "To see that kind of injustice happen ... that really hit home with a lot of people."
The viral 'Phillies Karen' and why she struck such a chord
The power of the internet has put adults behaving badly at sporting events on notice.
Most recently, it was the home run ball controversy, taking place during the game between the Phillies and Miami Marlins on Sept. 5 at LoanDepot Park in Miami. About a week earlier, a CEO snatched a hat that Polish tennis star Kamil Majchrzak tried to hand to a young boy.
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Sarkis says these moments speak to something larger than just sports. After all, we live at a time, she says, when many feel like their voices don't matter. Because of this, many people see an adult snatching a baseball from a child as a symbol of greater societal inequality.
"For a lot of people, just seeing someone behave that badly to someone and their kid who by all rights have the ball, I think it really affects everyone," Sarkis says. "Everyone has felt that sense of injustice, and I think that we identify with that."
Not to mention, she adds, that most people know what it's like to be intimidated, threatened or bullied and can empathize with the father and son.
"Someone's using intimidation tactics to get something that's not theirs," Sarkis says. "Many people have experienced that."
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Erik Anderson, a licensed marriage and family therapist, says one inequality in particular that people are grappling with right now is the wealth gap among generations. Seeing an older person take something from a younger person, he says, might exemplify this to a lot of people.
"In the U.S. right now, we do have a social narrative around selfishness in older people affecting younger generations, with things like the significant wealth gap between baby boomers, Generation X, millennials, and Generation Z, with outcomes being worse for each subsequent generation after baby boomers," he says. "It seems that part of the resentment is rooted in that generational resentment and the effects that older people feeling entitled and greedy have on younger generations."
What's the big lesson in all this?
There are a few big lessons to take away from the video.
One, Sarkis says, is how well the father modeled de-escalating a tense and unpredictable situation, ultimately protecting his kid's safety − something far more important than any baseball.
"He had to think very quickly about what to do, and so, he used it as a teaching moment for his child that this is how you deescalate," she says. "When you have someone that's so bold to do something like this, you don't know how much further they're going to escalate their behavior."
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For those feeling especially upset over this video, Anderson recommends examining those feelings and channeling them in healthy, productive ways.
"The best way to work through those things is find a way to be productive," he says. "Not just wallow in the outrage, but, really, if you can, identify one major social change that you'd like to back − something that's terrifically reasonable, that you can get behind."
Contributing: Josh Peter
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Phillies Karen' video sparks baseball outrage: Why we're so angry
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