Grown-up Reporter Dunks on Little Lad and Makes Him Cry

by Colleen Egan (Subscribe to Colleen Egan's posts) Nov 12th 2009 5:29PM

Categories: Preschoolers, Kids 5-7, Behaving Badly, In The News, Playground Bureau, Media, Bullying

You know the saying, "Pick on someone your own size?" Tell that to this reporter from Chicago's WGN-TV, who played a little b-ball with a child and proceeded to dunk on him, yell in his face and make him cry.

He almost redeemed himself. After the boy started crying, Pat Tomasulo said, "I feel like the lowest person on the planet right now." But then, the reporter took it back.

Hey, Tomasulo, we're curious...were you bullied as a kid?

Comments (168)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 9)

foxzachracing 11-12-2009 @ 10:05PM

Now what would of been good is if the kid wasn't so "soft" and walked over and kicked him in the balls lol.

Erik 11-13-2009 @ 6:23AM

I have kids and I'm sure I'd be pissed if someone did this to my kid but....hahahaha this is funny!

debbie3100 11-14-2009 @ 8:50PM

oh wow what a man he got one over on a 6 year old...grow up dude

espana 11-15-2009 @ 1:21AM

Reminds me of the Chapelles Show skit when he played playstation against that kid with cancer. "In yo Face!!!!"

Stacey 11-15-2009 @ 2:13AM

You're right. That would have been awesome!

TravelersShorts 11-15-2009 @ 2:49AM

It's just part of growing up for the reporter too. Kids will surprise you when you least expect it. You only find out how vulnerable they are after it's too late, sometimes. The kid will probably get over it before the reporter does. The mom wasn't too mad about it either, so that tells you she didn't think it was that big a deal. I would not let a toddler loose around flying basketballs anyway. It doesn't take much to knock a tot on his head.

Julie 11-15-2009 @ 3:46AM

Pat should feel proud of what a "man" he is, trying to make a little kid feel less of himself, in front of an audience. Not all MEN can do that, obviously little Pat is trying to over compensate. Pat, little man, quit taking out your personal problems on little kids.

Phil 11-15-2009 @ 7:11AM

The article said the reporter was a bad guy. Everybody goes off on the reporter based on the headline!

If the headline had said: "reporter plays 30 minutes of basketball with kid and thrills him with a dunk and an NBA style reaction" everyone would be saying, "what a cool reporter."

Of course, he is now the victim of poor reporting, so maybe he learned a lesson in the end, anyway, as a reporter, even if what he did WASN'T a poor choice of action.

Donnie 11-15-2009 @ 6:25PM

this was clearly an innocent attempt at having fun. he said at the end that he felt bad, why is everyone giving him such a hard time? I don't think he has anything to feel bad about, it was funny to EVERYONE until the little brat didn't get his way and started crying.....and yes I have kids!

Lady Wiccan 11-16-2009 @ 1:46PM

I agree 100%

Alex 11-13-2009 @ 8:29AM

Wow, sure its a little silly, but kid get over it. What happened to teaching kids self respect, dignity, and self-reliance. why is every one trying to make sure kids NEVER get their feelings hurt. seriously you are just making life harder for them later.

Jimbo 11-15-2009 @ 5:46AM

Hey, Alex. Self-respect and dignity should have been the first thing this reporter learned before he verbally abused this child. It may be funny to you, but I'm not laughing.

Chantal 11-14-2009 @ 9:22PM

SERIOUSLY! I hate that. Learn to take a lose with good sportsmanship. Kids need to learn early to lose with grace, even if their competitor is being rude. I hate it when children are coddled when they lose. A simple "We'll get 'em next time" will suffice. No need to snuggle up and breast feed him. Jeebus.

couch922 11-16-2009 @ 10:55AM

I teach my kids humility, love,. caring , respect, fun, hard work, and much more, just like my parents and grandparents did. Parents today who allow little kids to run the household, they wear their pants around their ass, hats sideways and make stupid gestures trying to look cool, it embarrasses me, they cant back up anything like we did, screw those kids, and their lame parents, I am tired of trying to explain to them why,,, tired of it, let them become the ditch diggers and wonder why, let em go. I was never told 10 times how to do it....I made it, let them struggle a bit, it is good for them....

CINDY 11-15-2009 @ 3:19PM

To Alex.............I agree. First, we can't even punish our own kids by giving them a good old fashioned swat, and now we're soppose to be careful not to hurt their feelings too?? What kind of generation are we raising anyway?? "WUSSES", who can't take a little tease now and then, and "PRISON INMATES", whose parents were'nt ALLOWED to swat their own kid, when they had it coming!!! THAT'S THE TWO TYPES OF KIDS, THAT ARE GONNA COME OUT OF THIS!!!!

Rusty McIntosh 11-15-2009 @ 9:26PM

What a punk! Pretty tough talking to LITTLE kids. Bet you can really give it to women too. Bring your trash talk over to a fat old man sometime and then go make a tooth inventory.... after you wake your sorry butt up! Kids gonna grow up and be a soldier defending your sorry hide one day.

Mihir 11-13-2009 @ 9:23AM

hilarious. the kid will get over it. move along folks. nothing to see here.

Stacie 11-13-2009 @ 10:31AM

Am I the only one who noticed he was reading a script?

LS 11-13-2009 @ 5:29PM

Ok, first off, yeah, the kid will get over it.

But second, if the kid doesn't know this guy, I can understand why he would cry. That's kind of a small kid, and I know if an unfamiliar adult shouted in my kid's face - and he's a pretty confident kid - he may cry, just because he doesn't know what he's being yelled at for. Not all kids understand the concept of trash talking during a game.

And third, I don't think it's all that funny because the reporter is just acting poorly. It's one thing to play, and not let a kid win, and quite another to trash talk, and then call names once you've driven your opponent from the court.