Really? Dentist Sues Mascot?

This is likely another sign of the apocalypse, a reason the world hates us, or a prime example of absurdity. It seems as though a dentist was at a Chicago Bulls basketball game and stuck his hand out to high-five the mascot. “Benny the Bull”, the mascot, obliged and the fan stayed through the remainder of the game without so much as a whimper. Later, this fan decided that he required surgery and would subsequently miss four months of work. He is now suing the Chicago Bulls for the income he will be losing while he recovers.

So let me get this straight – it was serious enough to get surgery yet he stayed for the whole game? Interesting. Is he sure he didn’t do something getting into his car that night? I’ll bet there are two sides to this story (I hope) and we are only privy to what gets reported unless we happen to know those involved or witnessed the fracas. There is no lack of opinions about the incident for sure. The comments on most of the articles and posts I’ve seen have been priceless and quite heated. The general consensus is disappointment in the dentist’s choice of action to put it mildly.

Again, I’m not sure what happened since I wasn’t there but I just have to believe there was likely a better way to handle this. For example, telling someone at the event what transpired right then would have been a good start. There are customer service people and security staff all over the stands at NBA games. If he was hurt, wouldn’t it make sense to document that with someone on staff and get some answers while the incident was fresh? It seems sensible to point out that you were injured. It’s hard to believe the mascot would have done anything on purpose either. The costume that he is wearing is probably not the most graceful. “Benny” was probably just doing what he gets paid for and might have lost his footing when he grabbed this man’s arm. I’m sure the Bulls have very expensive and competent lawyers that will poke many holes in the complainant’s case. Of course, a dentist will be able to afford elite counsel as well.

At any rate, I hope this incident gets settled without hurting the silliness that happens at NBA and other sporting events that some fans really enjoy. Frolicsome mascots have been involved in sports for a very long time and it would be a shame if one bad incident ruined that for those who appreciated them. I get that many fans aren’t excited about having them there, but certainly harsh words and allegations are not the answer either.