Baseball fans aren’t exactly the most forgiving bunch. Most have memories that don’t fail them easily, especially regarding the game. Add to that a passionate following that is fearless in making themselves heard at and even off the ballpark. So when a player tries to return from having their reputation hurt due to a scandal, there is bound to be some criticism. Fernando Tatis Jr found that out better than anyone else. Although he is 11 days late in the LA Lakers Night, his heartfelt tribute is set to steal the show with a pinch of boos.

Social media may have enabled the players to connect directly with the game’s fans, but it’s also made them more open to criticism of any gestures that the players don’t like. While one have to go to a ballgame to hear one’s criticism before, one can now have a voice from the comfort of one living room, too. The nature of fans may be fickle, but for this Padres player, they are not giving him any rope.

San Diego Padres Star Attempts Special Gesture For Kobe Bryant

Even though Fernando Tatis Jr. started the 2023 season serving a part of his 80 game suspension for alleged PED use, he has made a strong showing for himself this season. Initially bought on as a shortstop for the franchise, Tatis Jr.’s move to the outfield has proved to be a major success with his defense coming in clutch to save the Padres on several occasions.

Tatis Jr. is holding back no stops in trying to win over the fans with his gestures as best he can. He recently announced that he would be wearing a special pair of Jordans, covered with 4,750 yellow, silver and purple crystals, as the Padres take on the Dodgers in their upcoming series to honor the late great Kobe Bryant. An icon of the great city, Kobe Bryant was special to LA and Tatis Jr. wants to mark that with his own gesture.

The numbers 8 and 24 are featured on the rear of every shoe to symbolize the jerseys Kobe Bryant donned throughout his illustrious basketball career. He proudly wore each of these numbers for a decade during his remarkable 20-year tenure in the Hall of Fame. To this very moment, Bryant remains the sole Lakers player to have both of these jersey numbers retired in his honor.

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It seems however, that instead of the appreciation he had expected, the gesture has backfired.

Fans React to Star’s Gesture

The fans were not exactly enthused when they heard of Tatis Jr.’s latest gesture to honor their city icon. The conversation was always somehow drawn back to Tatis Jr.’s PED allegations and how this was just a gesture for the public and may not actually mean anything for the star.

On Instagram, a user commented, “Honoring kobe while wearing Jordans. Make it make sense Tatis. 💉💦“.

Another was unforgiving in their approach towards the converted shortstop. Said one fan, “This won’t save you from the boos of the pavilion.”

Still others seemed to think that while undoubtedly a great gesture, it was unnecessarily flashy. “Such a frivolous waste of money from an self-entitled man-child”, they wrote.

Others questioned why Tatis Jr. was wearing Jordans when Kobe has his own line of sneakers out on his name already which could serve as a more fitting tribute. Why Jordans and not Kobes? they wrote.

Another fan on Instagram said, “how u gonna honor kobe on a jordan shoe?“.

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The fans certainly seem to be giving it back to Fernando Tatis Jr. this season despite his playing record showing some improvement as time has gone on. However, it will be interesting to see how they react when Tatis actually wears the cleats and whether the boos actually do ring from the pavilion.

Read More: “Sweetest Thing I’ve Seen”: Fernando Tatis Jr.’s Wholesome ‘Jordan’ Gesture for Father Finally Has Fans Forget About Staining Steroid Scandal