On top of that is the fact that nothing this man cites actually happened. Yes, ESPN broadcasters Dan Shulman and John Kruk made comments after the camera pointed to a man sleeping. The accusing fan, whose name does not deserve to be mentioned (and will not ever be mentioned by me and to even include his picture is a bit too much) made THREE accusations that clearly never took place. We all know this because the complete video transcript of the broadcast is right there in front of us. The man says Shulman and/ or Kruk said he is "not worthy to be a fan of the New York Yankee"? Then... he is a "fatty cow that need two seats at a time and represent symbol of failure"? And finally... he is "a confused individual that neither understands nor knows anything about history and the rivalry between the Red Sox and New York Yankee.? First of all, none of this was even said. Second, half of it is worded so terribly it doesn't even make sense. This is not an example of the mans word against the ESPN announcers. None of what was alleged was said... PERIOD! The proof is in the transcript of the game. If you watched the game, you would know exactly what was said. If not, rewind your tivo and hear it for yourself.
The following was exactly what was said on the air in the conversation between Shulman and Kruk:
Shulman: "Did he sleep through the Beltran homer? I mean, 45,000 people stand up and cheer and he sleeps through?"
Kruk: "I think it would be tough to, but he seemed pretty comfortable. It didn't look he just started to sleep."
Shulman: "I mean, is that guy to his left his buddy, who's just letting him sleep through? What's the deal with this guy?"
Kruk: "Maybe that's his buddy and he likes him a lot better when he's asleep... Chicken fingers are a special item at a ballpark, and why share" Get 'em while he's asleep so he won't ask for one."
When did they say he was not worthy to be a fan? When did they call him a "fatty cow"? When did they discuss the Red Sox and Yankees history in regards to this man? I understand they poked fun at him for sleeping, but the slanderous accusations seem like more of a crime than anything either of the two broadcasters said. The man embarrasses himself further by choosing to sue the team he is apparently a die hard fan of.
The problem is the man will probably get paid from somebody, if not all three named in this. The Yankees are a huge enterprise, worth billions of dollars. As are MLB and ESPN. As successful entities, they are taught to alleviate any type of negative publicity. The correct thing for all involved to do individually is to fight this tooth and nail. If they do, justice will be served. Unfortunately, justice is never served in a situation like this. Look at the lady who sued McDonalds because she burned herself on a cup of hot coffee. McDonalds simply paid her to make the story go away. We live in a society where you can sue whoever you want, regardless of merit and expect a settlement of some sort. What should happen is MLB, the Yankees and ESPN should sue this man for defamation of character, liable and slander- all which can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt- and this man should serve time in jail or have to pay a significant fine for wasting everybody's time. At the very least, he should be awarded nothing and have to pay his lawyers out of his own pocket. If that happens, it will keep other greedy Americans from trying to steal money by making up false claims or embellishing the truth because they got their feelings hurt. If this man wanted to avoid humiliation, he should have not fallen asleep at the game. He embarrassed himself.