Trading-card retailer offers $5,000 if ‘Phillies Karen’ returns disputed home run ball — but only if she signs an apology

A major trading-card retailer on Tuesday offered $5,000 to the woman who was filmed taking a home run ball from a child at Friday night’s Philadelphia Phillies game — but only if she returns the ball signed and inscribed "I'm sorry."

The offer from Blowout Cards came after video of the confrontation between the woman, who has been widely dubbed the "Phillies Karen," and a father who had handed the ball to his young son went viral. In the footage the woman is heard yelling that the ball "was ours" and continued to berate the father until he gave the ball to his son, who then relinquished it. Fans in the stands were shown booing the woman and, in one clip, she flips the bird.

In a statement Blowout Cards said it wanted the ball "signed and inscribed by her — and only her, whoever she is — 'I'm sorry' so we can simply give it back to the kid." The company added: "Our offer is official and the offer is firm."

The child, identified by local media as Lincoln Feltwell, told NBC 10 Philadelphia that he was upset about losing the ball. "I wasn’t very happy that we had to give it to her, but we can’t win. She was going to get it anyways," he said. Lincoln later met the Phillies player who hit the home run, Harrison Bader, who gave him a bat after the game.

Lincoln's father, Drew Feltwell, said he tried to de-escalate during the incident and did not want the woman's life ruined by the backlash that followed. "She brought that on herself," he told NBC 10. "I don't want her life ruined but she brought that on. She's going to pay for that and it is not by hand. I don't wish any harm on her. Maybe she was in the moment. I'm not going to defend her."

Despite multiple widely shared videos that show the confrontation and a second clip capturing the woman confronting another fan, the woman has not been publicly identified. Several women who were suggested by online sleuths have denied being the person in the footage.

The incident prompted an immediate and intense reaction on social media, where users shared footage of the exchange and created memes. The Feltwells attended the game with Lincoln's mother and sister; Drew Feltwell said he apologized to his son for handing the ball over. "I thought I had accomplished this great thing," he said. "But she just wouldn't stop."

Blowout Cards' offer ties a financial incentive to public contrition: the company has said the ball must be signed and inscribed by the woman herself in order to be returned to the child. As of Tuesday there was no public confirmation that the ball had been located or that the woman had accepted the offer.

The episode adds to a series of viral confrontations at sporting events that have drawn public scrutiny and debate about fan conduct. The Phillies organization and Major League Baseball did not immediately announce any disciplinary action in response to the footage, and Blowout Cards said its offer stands as an effort to restore the souvenir to the child who lost it.