Players go through various unique experiences. While sometimes fans recognize them for their achievements and praise, they don’t hesitate to boo poor performances. These two scenarios are common in the field but even outside the field as well. Players often got recognized positively or negatively on the roads. The positive recognitions don’t really bother them, but hearing boos in the middle of the road is embarrassing. While most players find it extremely embarrassing, Bryce Harper takes a different road.
The NLCS run of the Philadelphia Phillies got a major hit after back-to-back defeats. The series that they were leading 2-0 now stands at 2-2. Also, Harper is going through a slump, as he didn’t contribute much to his team in the last few games. Amidst this complicated situation, the star outfielder sat for an interview and talked about his feelings about getting booed on the road.
Bryce Harper’s unique take on fans booing him
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Generally, booing affects players negatively, breaking their confidence in some cases. The rival fans use this to give the home team a mental advantage. Though it often works on players, the Phillies star clearly stated he finds it good. In fact, he enjoyed the bullying part.
A few days back, the Phillies DH sat for an interview session on The Pat McAfee Show. Though the interview session revolved around multiple topics, it eventually came to booing. To everyone’s surprise, Harper revealed, “I love that. I?m all about that.” Getting further into the topic, he clearly stated his views, saying, “I love going on the road and getting booed. I absolutely do. There?s nothing like it.?
For the Phillies outfielder, it’s part of his growing up. As a young boy, there used to be a lot of pressure on him, including becoming the no.1 pick, taking care of his family, etc. However, as time passed, those eventually became “a cake” to him. Now, it’s become a funny part to play in front of a big audience, like 45 thousand people, and “harnessing that energy into hitting a baseball.”
The 2023 season has witnessed the outcome of Harper’s energy for a lot of time in leading the team towards the World Series. However, this is not the first time Harper expressed his opinions on getting booed.
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Harper used to get booed in the minor leagues
As a Washington Nationals’ rookie player, Harper once talked about how he used to get booed in his minor league days. He expressed, “Oh yeah, it?s been pretty brutal in the minors.” However, the player has always been mature enough to control himself from getting affected. “Ever since I?ve been up here, I?ve gotten booed. That?s just fans loving their team and hating their opponents. So that?s good for them.??
From the very beginning, Harper’s attitude was positive towards booing. He took things casually and never let negative things hamper his confidence.
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Do you think the Phillies star will be able to turn around things this season? Let us know in the comments below.
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