Erin Andrews reunited with Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting quarterback Baker Mayfield during her assignment for the Buccaneers-New Orleans Saints game in Week 17 after not seeing him for over a year.
As she described to Charissa Thompson on the latest episode of the Calm Down with Erin and Charissa podcast, her reunion with Mayfield was quickly interrupted by an unruly fan.
“I was standing — name drop — with Baker Mayfield before the game talking because I haven’t seen him for the past year, and as I’m standing there, this guy was like, ‘Erin, come over here! I want a picture!'” Andrews said, via the New York Post.
“I was just like, ‘Am I an animal in a zoo?'”
That earned a reaction from Mayfield.
“Baker taps me on the shoulder, and he’s like ‘Have fun with that one,’ “Andrews said.
“‘I want a picture!'” she added, harshly imitating the fan. “You know what? I want a lot of things, but am I screaming at you?”
It seems that Andrews has had several unpleasant experiences with fans in NFL stadiums and places like an airport restaurant/bar at the Fort Lauderdale Airport. On Christmas Eve, after the Miami Dolphins-Dallas Cowboys game, a man who had been drinking too much approached her and claimed to know who she was. Andrews, who was trying to get home, was uninterested in talking to him. The alleged fan told Andrews she needed to smile more, which wasn’t pleasant. Andrews later shared her frustration with the encounter, stating that she had some choice words for the man.
While it’s understandable that fans are excited to see celebrities, there’s a clear line between enthusiasm and disrespect. Demanding a picture and making unsolicited comments, especially while someone is working or trying to relax, is unacceptable behavior
Andrews’ experiences shine a light on the often-overlooked issue of fan behavior. While admiration and excitement are natural, these incidents remind everyone that boundaries should always be respected and that courtesy extends to everyone.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.