The fan who went viral this week for dangling his stepson over the wall at a Cincinnati Reds Game addresses the backlash he received for the stunt.
Despite the criticism that ensued after the video went viral on social media, the fan, James Foreman, maintained that he was unconcerned about lowering the 8-year-old boy over the wall by the ankles during Sunday’s Reds game at Busch Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The incident occurred in the fifth inning after Cardinals outfielder Bryan Torres launched a ball into right field that barely cleared the wall for a two-run home run.
With the baseball sitting between the fence and a wall directly beneath their seats, Foreman lowered his stepson head first while holding his legs in an attempt to reach the ball.
“That dude is going to sacrifice his son,” one of the announcers said during the broadcast.
After what happened last year in Pittsburgh (and could have happened in St. Louis earlier this year if not for some quick-thinking fans), when Pirates fan Kavan Markwood fell more than 21 feet over the Robert Clemente right field wall onto the field at PNC Park, Foreman’s stunt with his stepson received a lot of criticism.
On Tuesday, Inside Edition spoke to James Foreman about it, and he insisted that it was not that big of a deal.
“I felt like I had a good grip. I’ve done it hundreds of times,” Foreman said.
When the reporter asked the boy how badly he wanted the home run ball, he replied, “A lot.”
Hey, as Nate Burleson said with a wry smile on CBS Mornings while discussing whether he would do such a thing with one of his kids, “He almost got it.” That he did.