An older man at a recent baseball game took issue with a younger fan choosing to remain seated during the national anthem.
A video shared to X that has since gone viral shows an older man shouting “get up” to a younger man who was sitting in front of him during the anthem performance.
The man then leaned down to whisper something in the seated man’s ear before smacking him in the back of the head.
At that point, the younger man stood up as onlookers turned to see what was going on.
The older man said “Thank you, thank you so much young man” after the young fan followed his command.
The video sparked a debate. Some defended the older man’s actions, saying it is disrespectful to the country to sit during the national anthem, while others said he took things too far.
“It looks like no one standing around had a problem with this love tap reminding the dude, in case he forgot to show respect for our country,” one person commented.
“It’s his right to sit,” another countered. “That’s what this country is about, freedom.”
See the video below.
