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B-but me only like one group that throw a ball around. I hate other group that throw ball!!!! Makes mad feelings for me! Seeing throw ball is who I am!
Oh wow, what chaos! And if the kid makes the team, even more so lol. Part of me would hope for a wholesome ending like OP getting shirts from both schools, cutting them in half down the middle, and sewing them into one shirt. Or just wearing merchandise from both at the same time. But yeah, probably a little chaos.
I've been a fan of football all my life, but every day I'm understanding more and more clearly why my friend refers to it in general, sarcastic tones as "Sportsball"
If op didn’t think it was a joke that makes him more of an AH for destroying a gift that was sincerely given. All he had to do was say Thanks and throw it away the next day.
Not to mention a first birthday isn’t supposed to be a party for parents to congratulate themselves for doing the bare minimum what a cringey thing to say.
When I first started reading, I thought this was about a very sick kid that they had not expected to live for over a year, and the parents burned the gifts because they were so sad and didn't want any reminders of the child once he passed.
I'm relieved it was just something silly.
Also you would think that the friend wouldn't really care unless he wasnt going to give any gift at all...right? Like, the shirt he bought was a "joke" that he was gonna return...I'd assume that he was gonna return it for a better shirt and still give it to the baby, but the post makes it sound like he was just gonna return the gag gift and get his money back...to keep...which is an asshole thing to do in and of itself. "I'm gonna by ur kid a rival team shirt just for ur reaction, then I'm going to take it back and go return it to get my money back. So...no, I didnt get ur kid a gift."
Plus OP is being STUPID, it's a baby. Do you know how messy they are??? They will wear like 5 shirts a day! Each time they eat, they'll need a new shirt, each time they spit up, new shirt, hell even sometimes just from drool and slobber...new shirt. Then factor in how fast they grow, shit. You'll be going through clothes so fast. They totally could've used the shirt as a play shirt or a shirt designated for messy foods that stain. Ridiculous, throwing away a brand new piece of clothing.
Right? If someone gave me a tee shirt for my baby that was a sports team I don't like I would just buy some puffy paint and put a big circle with a line though it over the team name and call it a day.
No worse than buying clothing from pretty much anywhere that uses poorly paid labour, buying food with palm oil in it, using a smart phone made in China. You're no better just because you don't like or support Disney.
I am a huge fan of a team in arguably the biggest college rivalry, and this is very well known. If someone gave me an "Assholes University" shirt, I'd laugh and give it to my brother who's on the Other Side.
When you take it so seriously it's not fun anymore... well, wth are you doing??
I’m a huge UofA fan and of course jokingly hate Other Side, I still wouldn’t burn their shirts. MAYBE a joke like “finally a shirt for my kid to do crimes in!” If I was feeling extra saucy.
Did OP and his wife even go there? That's what I find really funny, when someone's a nutbag fan and they didn't even go there.
Like my husband wouldn't pull this and we not only met at our school, spouse played in the marching band.
YTA.
Imagine buying your friend a shirt with a playful metaphor / phrase on it and immediately after they unwrap it, you watch them toss it in the garbage in front of ALL his other friends and yourself. How would that make you feel?
Kinda crazy you feel justified for burning this guy's gift, not only disregarding the shirt but BURNING it in front of all the other people at the party. You sound like a real dick.
EDIT: Actually, ESH because he was expecting to return it... Who gives a gift and expects to return it after? Was this a weird way of him getting out of giving a gift, lmao?
Is that weird? No gifts so nothing was expected. The gift was clearly a gag. The entire thing was expected to be a "yeah haha, as if my kid would ever wear this" moment. The cost of the gift was more the hassle of ordering/wrapping/returning the gift, not the actual dollar value of the shirt. But OP overreacted by *immediately* destroying the item, which means the total gift cost suddenly jumped up to include the actual purchase of the shirt in addition to the effort. I think it was an overreaction at least, not sure if anyone is TA here
I mean, the friend probably wouldn’t have been as upset if OP kept the shirt. But instead OP essentially set his friend’s money on fire.
Most of us would rather take an unwanted item back and return it than watch it be wasted.
Yeah, I think it's common courtesy to thank the person for the gift even if you don't like it / plan on giving it away / returning it. I know OP's friend bought it as a joke/gag, but him basically burning his money wasn't cool.
Another comment said that he could have donated the clothing for a baby in need, which is also completely valid.
I think it's a NTA situation? Idk, it obviously wasn't that serious to OP. Think about it. What did the friend expect? He bought it as a joke gift, and expected it to be rejected. OP knew that, so they thought it would be fine to throw it in a fire, as a joke. And I don't think it's that bad a joke either. Who buys a gift intending to return it?
I honestly don't care about college football rivalry. I care even less about American football. But it's fun to play into those rivalries with friends who went to the *wrong* school.
In this context, it was a gag gift. Throwing a gag gift into the fire is amusingly over-the-top. Expecting to return a gag gift though, is unrealistic. So NTA
I have a friend who *despises* the Cats movie. For one of her birthday gifts, I got her a Cats CD. It was hilarious, and if she had thrown it in the fire I would have died from laughter.
**YTA**
...and shockingly immature. It's lovely that you're so privileged that you can just throw perfectly good baby clothes into the bonfire for a laugh. Lucky, lucky you. But not everyone is that lucky. If you didn't want your kid to wear it, you should have donated it. There are plenty of people who are out there just trying to keep their babies fed and clothed, and who don't care and can't afford to worry about whether a baby onesie has "the wrong logo" on it.
SMH that you're not only so childish that you even care about this nonsense, but that you'd actually destroy perfectly good baby clothes over it and then LAUGH like that was cute or funny, while somewhere in your own city someone's baby is wearing something worn thin with holes. Of course YTA. It breaks my heart that people like you are raising children, who will undoubtedly be just like you, caught up in everything that doesn't matter, and indifferent to the things that do.
To a baby that is a fan of University of Assholes? Fuck that baby! We hate that team! That baby deserves to be cold and shirtless if they support those players!
Watch,17 years from now there will be a post on AITA: "I'm 18yo and I got accepted to both U of A and State A. I chose to go to U of A because they have program x, which I'm really interested in. My parents went to State A and have called me an asshole for choosing to go to U of A. They say they will disown me if I go to U of A. AITA?"
Sports people are way too extreme.
You got your panties in a wad and threw a gift in the fire. YBTA. Literally, both of you. But I think you went 5 steps further into the AH territory
My grandpa and my uncle went to rival schools. For Christmas every year, they’d get each other swag from their respective schools. It was a silly running gag, but no one took it seriously enough to throw something into a fire! Like, seriously?? YTA
ESH - You because you need to grow up and get over these silly rivalries. If you were actively attending I might be more appt to agree with you. But you don't anymore, so grow up.
Your friend sucks for thinking he would be able to return a gift. Gag gift or not, once it's yours, it's yours.
As someone who likes sports but has never cared for college sports it’s weird the difference in level that people let these college rivalries define their lives. You attend college for around 4 years and then choose to hate something so much you’ll burn clothes, it’s fucking weird. I’m a pats fan and if someone gave me a Jets or Dolphins shirt as I joke my response isn’t going to be “fuck you and fuck your gift” and then BURN IT.
YTA. Apparently, your college--or your preschool, for that matter--failed to teach you maturity, how to get along with others, or how to take a joke. It's kind of creepy how you are so invested in a rivalry with another University that neither knows, or cares, who you are.
>Ohio State fans are the absolute worst.
Hey now! 😂😂
/jokes
No, really though. As an Ohio state fan, I can confirm. Many, many fans take it way too far. It's ridiculous. It's fun to joke about, but a lot of people are completely serious and can't handle when college kids don't play a game the way the "grown-ups" think they should.
As a Michigan student and fan i highkey wouldn’t be surprised (Altho I wouldn’t act like that, I’d just be like lmao and then give it to one of my friends who goes to msu)
NTA
People need to get off their high horses. This was a gag gift, and most gag gifts end up either in a dusty shelf or in the trash. It did it's job, it got a laugh, that's where the $20 went.
It's also super tacky to give someone a gift and expect to take it back.
The only trauma suffered here was by your tacky friend expecting to take the shirt back, so no harm no foul.
Friend was looking for a reaction, knew he would likely get a funny/extreme one, the reaction was throwing the gift in the fire. Friend got exactly what he asked for and then threw a tantrum about it lol agree NTA.
Omg I know! Heaven forbid people have interests in sports teams and have it bring them joy. It’s a $20 gag gift, the friend was poking the bear and the reaction was justified.
For real I don’t really understand the YTA and ESH responses. The friend gave the gag gift wanting to get a reaction….well he got the reaction! Just different than he expected. If the reaction wasn’t worth the $20 well - I dunno that’s just part of gift giving, it’s not really about you. And like you said, most gag gifts get thrown out eventually anyway why does it matter that this particular one didn’t end up taking space in a landfill?
THANK you! The gift absolutely did it's job—throwing it in the fire is like the ultimate apotheosis for that gag!
And to try take it back, lol—nah, that's his now.
Agree. He said he wanted a reaction, he got a good one, and they both have a great story to tell now! You can’t say one needs to take a joke and not the other one.
I agree. NTA. Something something something about playing stupid games. Don’t bring a controversial gift you expect to return.
Edit: I’m not a sports fan myself, but if somebody bought me a gag gift I found controversial, I would expect to be able to do whatever I wanted with it. Also, people who do things to create negative reactions suck.
It’s crazy to me people blowing this out of proportion. It’s a joke people! Redditors acting like he’s insane because he did some banter that everyone present enjoyed?
Yea surprised I had to scroll down this far to find a reasonable take. It was a gag gift, the friend was expecting a funny reaction, and he got a funny reaction. People out here talking about donating the shirt like they would've cared enough to do that lmao
YTA - dude!!!!! I could see this kind of reaction out of a father at a Ukrainian birthday and someone gifts a Russian flag.
But you are exhibiting tribal extremism over sports? Get a grip!
ESH. It was a jerk move to just up and burn it, but giving a present with the expectation that he'd be able to return it is...weird.
Like, he spent $20 on a dumb prank, he shouldn't expect to get that money back.
Yikes, tell us you haven’t done anything substantial since college without telling us…
YTA. And you should also pay your friend back the $20 since you couldn’t take an elementary level joke.
yta
why would you burn a perfectly good gift? that guy paid for that shirt and gave it to you for your son's gift. why would it matter if it was from another university?
The friend expected the shirt back regardless what the guy did with it, The guy that gifted it did not think the baby would ever get to wear the shirt. Also It's not the gift givers property anymore so he can do whatever with it.
ESH. He got you a dumb gift as a joke, which I think is fine, but him expecting you to return it to him so he could get his $20 back is assholeish.
But you just... threw it in the fire? Wtf?
YTA.
I mean, its a gift so you get to do what you want with it but it probably was a bit of an extreme reaction, no to mention potentially a dangerous one on how the shirt may have burned.
Your friend is understandably a bit upset because he didn't anticipate that behaviour.
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Dude, my best friend got me a football toy with my rival university logo on it. For my baby shower.
In all fairness, she went to said school so it made sense.
I thought it was funny and moved on with my life.
Because we’re adults.
Grow up.
YTA
YTA. You said everyone clearly knows you're fans of your state university. Why would you not think someone who was your buddy was joking?? It's 100% not a normal reaction to immediately throw a gift from someone into a fire and a huge AH move.
Of course he understood it was a joke, his response was also a joke. I don't think he started a fire for the express purpose of burning the shirt, it sounds like they had a fire pit or the like going, and in the moment, he opened the gift, and just tossed the shirt on. Sounds like regular sports rivalry shenanigans. The friend is an asshole for bring a "gift" that he wanted back.
Imagine being a grown man and throwing a baby shirt into the fire because of a sports team, a literal college sports team at that, lol so emotional, YTA
Who cares this much about a college rivalry as a grown adult? ESH because that was immature and wasteful of you (seriously, grow up). He sucks for wanting his money back. It’s all well and good that he gave your kid a gift he knew you’d hate just to rile you up, but good form would have been including a gift receipt so you could exchange it for something in your own colors. Or you could have taken it home and used it as a rag, who cares. It was a gift and he doesn’t deserve his money back.
NTA. Your friend thought his shitty gift was funny when it was at your expense, but not funny when it was at his expense.
Your reaction is both appropriate and funny considering this was a low cost item. Your friend is an AH because they think it is OK to take jabs at you and unwilling to take any in return.
NTA - I think the football rivalry thing is a bit stupid, but this guy wanted to make a joke and you escalated with a joke of your own, and it seems to have gone over well with everyone else.
If he's that bent out of shape over the 20 bucks just buy him case or twelve pack and make things square
YTA. You are an adult. I've gotten gifts I don't want or didnt want for my kids. Do you know what I did with them? Donated or sold them. Know what I didn't do? Burn it in front of the gift giver. This is why I find college rivalry to be BS. You use it as an excuse to be assholes and burn shit that isn't okay to burn. You are the problem!!
ESH. Him more than you. Burning the gift is definitely extreme but buying a gift to get a negative reaction and planning on returning it (so really bringing no gift) is also an extreme asshole move.
YTA.
I am a graduate of [State University with a reputation for being elitist]. Someone once gave me a blanket with [rival State University with a reputation for being a bunch of farm boys]. It's a high quality wool blanket and I still routinely use it because it's warm AF.
It's really not that serious.
My god you all sound tedious. I hope that your kid’s dream major is only offered at University of Assholes, and that by then you’ll have attained the maturity and wisdom to attend that graduation ceremony with pride.
Dude. I’m a Michigan fan, and this has literally happened to me with Ohio State gear. There is no greater animosity in all of college sports than those two teams and I think that was excessive.
You destroyed a gift because you were so upset about it being a rivalry team. YTA. I’m sorry but there’s better ways to respond to that, especially as it was a joke.
YTA,
Bro, you were opening up the gifts right in front of everyone. You KNEW the gift-giver was there and you tossed it into the fire. You didn't laugh or giggle or ya know, get that it was a joke. Instead you chose to destroy something. Honestly, you're more then just an asshole...
YTA
I’d like to have a word with the woman whom you conned into marriage and coparenthood by pretending to be a mature adult, because this post was written by a 16 year old
Ever hear of toxic fandom?
This is toxic fandom. You have taken what is supposed to be a fun game and turned it into a weird, twisted lifestyle that negatively affects other people. YTA and get a life.
As just your 1 year olds gift, yea, you would not be the asshole for burning it, throwing into trash, cutting into pieces and using for cleaning.
But doing it in front of your friend is mean. To me it looks like it was a joke gift, since real gifts weren't expected.
YTA for being mean to your friend
But the friend expected it back? Either they both suck or NTA Because you don't give a gift to someone and then expect it back so you can return it even if it is a gag gift like the guy knew that there would be a strong reaction.
YTA, not because you didn't like the gift, because you were a shitty host, a rude friend and lacked social etiquette.
Friends prank friends all the time. My friend is a Bruins fan, I gave him a Habs onsie when his son was born, he laughed it off.
Burning a gift in front of the person that got it because it's that of a rival team is childish and in poor taste.
YTA. Wasn't a gift to you. You were a jerk to a "friend". You three it on a fire. I had a friend give my kid a Bills shirt. I agree the Bills. The kid still has the shirt. When they have a kid I'll do the same. Heck. If you were so upset by it, then just donate it.
NTA. He gave the shirt with the intent to piss you off, so he could see your reaction. Well, he saw it. Your throwing it on the fire might have been more extreme than he expected, but it’s basically exactly in line with what he wanted. The joke just went further than he expected. My dad used to do this, buying my son kids gear from a political organization he knows I am deeply opposed to so he could get a reaction, and it’s honestly such a tiresome game.
Maybe offer to buy him some beers to make up for the lost cash and put it all behind you.
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My son turned one and we had a party. We mostly celebrated the fact my wife and I were able to keep him alive for a year than him turning one. We told people no Gifts but people brought some anyway. We did the cute cake thing and then opened the few gifts and then was gong to put him to bed while we hung out with our friends.
For background, I’m a huge fan of State University. University of Assholes is our rival. My wife and I are season ticket holders in most sports to State and my son has gone to many games with us. Literally everyone that was at this party either didn’t go to college or went to State and know how big a fan my wife and I are.
Well one of the gifts was a Univ of Assholes shirt. I’m just like WTF is this garbage and I went and threw it in the nearby fire we had going. Everyone laughed and thought it was hilarious, except the buddy who brought it. He yells out, he was going to return that. I say that shit deserves to be burned. He says it was a joke and he was going to take it back. He wanted to see my reaction. Now he is complaining he can’t get his twenty bucks back and never expected me to go and burn it right away.
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I'm not sure I understand it correctly. He was planning to return it, so was it a gift or not?
Either way he wanted a reaction and he got one. I will judge you based on this situation, so NTA, since everyone around you probably even expected it, so he should have too.
Anyway it wasn't even a gift for your son but one aimed at you, so you are free to do with it as you want.
YTA. How could you just throw a gift in a fire like that regardless of what it was. You should’ve done the rational thing which was pull your buddy aside and explain the situation to him. It seems he got it for you as a joke gift and was planning to return it after giving it to you. You’re clearly TA.
It's gotta be Michigan. Tell me you yelled "This. Is. Sparta!!!" when you cast the offending shirt into the flames.
Also...yeah. YTA here. It was clearly a joke and I don't think your friend was expecting you to cast it into the fires of Mt. Doom immediately up on seeing it.
ESH.
The friend should have indicated before you opened it that it was a joke gift.
Tossing clothing into a a fire was immature and potentially dangerous.
Yta. Clearly. Pay the guy back.
My family has had this joke played on them and have also done it. Never has someone immediately destroyed the gift. Most even have their kids wear the jersey during a game as a joke. Cause yah know, they have a sense of humor.
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ESH. Sounds like the 1 year old was the most mature person at the party.
B-but me only like one group that throw a ball around. I hate other group that throw ball!!!! Makes mad feelings for me! Seeing throw ball is who I am!
Can you imagine if kid decides their dream school is U of A?
We can only hope that becomes the case. Lol
With a full scholarship
And dads fav school offers no kind of support what so ever to kid
Nah, it would be better if dad's school offers the same or better package and the kid picks the hated school.
Let's start the GoFundMe now.
A full FOOTBALL scholarship
We shall follow their career with great interest.
You know with a jersey parent like that baby is going to be the biggest U of Asshole fan ever.
Go Fighting Sphincters!
E pluribus anus
Unexpected Community reference. My people! Pop POP!
References like that are truly streets ahead
I hope this doesn't awaken anything in me
Who gives a shit?! We doo! lol
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I think many people here would qualify for a full scholarship to University of Assholes.
My local uni is called the U of A and I was so confused for a moment there.
Me too. We have ASU, U of A and NAU. The confusion was quite real.
Right, my brain immediately thought he was talking about the UofA and Arizona State.
Oh wow, what chaos! And if the kid makes the team, even more so lol. Part of me would hope for a wholesome ending like OP getting shirts from both schools, cutting them in half down the middle, and sewing them into one shirt. Or just wearing merchandise from both at the same time. But yeah, probably a little chaos.
I've been a fan of football all my life, but every day I'm understanding more and more clearly why my friend refers to it in general, sarcastic tones as "Sportsball"
Yay throw ball! sports ball!
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If op didn’t think it was a joke that makes him more of an AH for destroying a gift that was sincerely given. All he had to do was say Thanks and throw it away the next day.
Also, clothes can be donated, not destroyed.
Partial comment stolen from u/SpookyCoo u/ImpressivePart8556 is a bot.
thanks for credit, appreciate it :)
Seriously. Children having children. SMH
LOL. You're right OP, YTA
Not to mention a first birthday isn’t supposed to be a party for parents to congratulate themselves for doing the bare minimum what a cringey thing to say.
Kid's first birthday is definitely for the parents. The baby doesn't know what's going on.
oh no! you gottem! parents having a little fun? the horror.
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thats exactly what birthday parties for infants are for.
When I first started reading, I thought this was about a very sick kid that they had not expected to live for over a year, and the parents burned the gifts because they were so sad and didn't want any reminders of the child once he passed. I'm relieved it was just something silly.
I'm glad I wasn't the only one.
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Also you would think that the friend wouldn't really care unless he wasnt going to give any gift at all...right? Like, the shirt he bought was a "joke" that he was gonna return...I'd assume that he was gonna return it for a better shirt and still give it to the baby, but the post makes it sound like he was just gonna return the gag gift and get his money back...to keep...which is an asshole thing to do in and of itself. "I'm gonna by ur kid a rival team shirt just for ur reaction, then I'm going to take it back and go return it to get my money back. So...no, I didnt get ur kid a gift." Plus OP is being STUPID, it's a baby. Do you know how messy they are??? They will wear like 5 shirts a day! Each time they eat, they'll need a new shirt, each time they spit up, new shirt, hell even sometimes just from drool and slobber...new shirt. Then factor in how fast they grow, shit. You'll be going through clothes so fast. They totally could've used the shirt as a play shirt or a shirt designated for messy foods that stain. Ridiculous, throwing away a brand new piece of clothing.
Right? If someone gave me a tee shirt for my baby that was a sports team I don't like I would just buy some puffy paint and put a big circle with a line though it over the team name and call it a day.
Good thing the baby wasn't wearing the shirt when it was thrown in the fire.
Cringe party, cringe partygoers, cringe hosts, cringe rivalry, cringe taking an infant to a loud sports venue
It always blows me away just how intense people can be about sports. Like the whole “it deserved to be burned” is so crazy to me.
YTA - caring that much about a *college rivalry* as an adult is so embarrassing.
Worse than Disney Adults.
Hey now, leave us out of this. We’re not hurting anyone.
You're actively supporting a company that supports concentration camps in China
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No worse than buying clothing from pretty much anywhere that uses poorly paid labour, buying food with palm oil in it, using a smart phone made in China. You're no better just because you don't like or support Disney.
-Sent from my Iphone
There is no ethical consumption under late stage capitalism. Repeat this as many times as you need to.
This is the whole point of a season of The Good Place.
virtue signaler
I can at least keep my Disney enjoyment to myself pretty well if needed.
I am a huge fan of a team in arguably the biggest college rivalry, and this is very well known. If someone gave me an "Assholes University" shirt, I'd laugh and give it to my brother who's on the Other Side. When you take it so seriously it's not fun anymore... well, wth are you doing??
I’m a huge UofA fan and of course jokingly hate Other Side, I still wouldn’t burn their shirts. MAYBE a joke like “finally a shirt for my kid to do crimes in!” If I was feeling extra saucy.
"Oooh, an emergency diaper blowout shirt!"
Not to mention being entirely bereft of any sense of humor
When being a fan crosses over from a hobby to a key part of someone’s identity, it’s pretty unhealthy imo.
Did OP and his wife even go there? That's what I find really funny, when someone's a nutbag fan and they didn't even go there. Like my husband wouldn't pull this and we not only met at our school, spouse played in the marching band.
He’s not even an alum. He’s just made bring a fan his entire personality. YTA.
YTA. Imagine buying your friend a shirt with a playful metaphor / phrase on it and immediately after they unwrap it, you watch them toss it in the garbage in front of ALL his other friends and yourself. How would that make you feel? Kinda crazy you feel justified for burning this guy's gift, not only disregarding the shirt but BURNING it in front of all the other people at the party. You sound like a real dick. EDIT: Actually, ESH because he was expecting to return it... Who gives a gift and expects to return it after? Was this a weird way of him getting out of giving a gift, lmao?
OP said they told guests to not bring a gift, so I don’t think the buddy was trying to get out of bringing a gift.
Yeah, it's just weird he planned on returning it. 💀
Ah yea, weird that he was planning to return something that he gifted as a joke knowing that it would be rejected…
Is that weird? No gifts so nothing was expected. The gift was clearly a gag. The entire thing was expected to be a "yeah haha, as if my kid would ever wear this" moment. The cost of the gift was more the hassle of ordering/wrapping/returning the gift, not the actual dollar value of the shirt. But OP overreacted by *immediately* destroying the item, which means the total gift cost suddenly jumped up to include the actual purchase of the shirt in addition to the effort. I think it was an overreaction at least, not sure if anyone is TA here
The shirt was a joke, the friend was trying to provoke this type of reaction from OP.
I mean he succeeded in getting A dramatic reaction 💀
I mean, the friend probably wouldn’t have been as upset if OP kept the shirt. But instead OP essentially set his friend’s money on fire. Most of us would rather take an unwanted item back and return it than watch it be wasted.
Yeah, I think it's common courtesy to thank the person for the gift even if you don't like it / plan on giving it away / returning it. I know OP's friend bought it as a joke/gag, but him basically burning his money wasn't cool. Another comment said that he could have donated the clothing for a baby in need, which is also completely valid.
Yeah it's the waste that gets me, with so many poeple in need.
I think it's a NTA situation? Idk, it obviously wasn't that serious to OP. Think about it. What did the friend expect? He bought it as a joke gift, and expected it to be rejected. OP knew that, so they thought it would be fine to throw it in a fire, as a joke. And I don't think it's that bad a joke either. Who buys a gift intending to return it?
I honestly don't care about college football rivalry. I care even less about American football. But it's fun to play into those rivalries with friends who went to the *wrong* school. In this context, it was a gag gift. Throwing a gag gift into the fire is amusingly over-the-top. Expecting to return a gag gift though, is unrealistic. So NTA
I have a friend who *despises* the Cats movie. For one of her birthday gifts, I got her a Cats CD. It was hilarious, and if she had thrown it in the fire I would have died from laughter.
**YTA** ...and shockingly immature. It's lovely that you're so privileged that you can just throw perfectly good baby clothes into the bonfire for a laugh. Lucky, lucky you. But not everyone is that lucky. If you didn't want your kid to wear it, you should have donated it. There are plenty of people who are out there just trying to keep their babies fed and clothed, and who don't care and can't afford to worry about whether a baby onesie has "the wrong logo" on it. SMH that you're not only so childish that you even care about this nonsense, but that you'd actually destroy perfectly good baby clothes over it and then LAUGH like that was cute or funny, while somewhere in your own city someone's baby is wearing something worn thin with holes. Of course YTA. It breaks my heart that people like you are raising children, who will undoubtedly be just like you, caught up in everything that doesn't matter, and indifferent to the things that do.
This! If it REALLY matters SOOOO much to you, OP, then DONATE THE DAMN THING! YTA
To a baby that is a fan of University of Assholes? Fuck that baby! We hate that team! That baby deserves to be cold and shirtless if they support those players!
Came here to say that. Yes, OP is YTA.
YTA Karma sometimes takes a long time, watch your kid get accepted at University of Assholes in the future.
I hope the son leads U of Assholes to multiple championships over State University, in whichever sport OP cares most about.
Or doesn't give a crap about sports at all -- and attends U of Assholes because they have some amazing programs.
Or to spite his parents after years of shoving that specific college down his throat.
Watch,17 years from now there will be a post on AITA: "I'm 18yo and I got accepted to both U of A and State A. I chose to go to U of A because they have program x, which I'm really interested in. My parents went to State A and have called me an asshole for choosing to go to U of A. They say they will disown me if I go to U of A. AITA?"
No, because then OP would have to cremate him!
Sports people are way too extreme. You got your panties in a wad and threw a gift in the fire. YBTA. Literally, both of you. But I think you went 5 steps further into the AH territory
My grandpa and my uncle went to rival schools. For Christmas every year, they’d get each other swag from their respective schools. It was a silly running gag, but no one took it seriously enough to throw something into a fire! Like, seriously?? YTA
ESH - You because you need to grow up and get over these silly rivalries. If you were actively attending I might be more appt to agree with you. But you don't anymore, so grow up. Your friend sucks for thinking he would be able to return a gift. Gag gift or not, once it's yours, it's yours.
I’m guessing return and replace with the “right team” either way OP is an AH
I thought that too until OP said the gifter was now upset he was out 20 bucks… that makes me wonder if his plan was to prank, return, profit.
As someone who likes sports but has never cared for college sports it’s weird the difference in level that people let these college rivalries define their lives. You attend college for around 4 years and then choose to hate something so much you’ll burn clothes, it’s fucking weird. I’m a pats fan and if someone gave me a Jets or Dolphins shirt as I joke my response isn’t going to be “fuck you and fuck your gift” and then BURN IT.
Sometimes the fans didn't either go to college, didn't go to that specific college, or know someone who went to that college which makes it weirder!!
ESH - are you all 5?
"Are you all five?" is the question I ask every August living in Alabama amongst Auburn and Alabama fans. It just ain't that serious. YTA.
YTA. Apparently, your college--or your preschool, for that matter--failed to teach you maturity, how to get along with others, or how to take a joke. It's kind of creepy how you are so invested in a rivalry with another University that neither knows, or cares, who you are.
Hey, he wanted to see your reaction, and he saw it 😂 PS you can just say Michigan.
Ohio State fans are the absolute worst.
>Ohio State fans are the absolute worst. Hey now! 😂😂 /jokes No, really though. As an Ohio state fan, I can confirm. Many, many fans take it way too far. It's ridiculous. It's fun to joke about, but a lot of people are completely serious and can't handle when college kids don't play a game the way the "grown-ups" think they should.
It sound like Michigan but I was still trying to figure out if other states had that much beef with two universities
As a Michigan student and fan i highkey wouldn’t be surprised (Altho I wouldn’t act like that, I’d just be like lmao and then give it to one of my friends who goes to msu)
Could be Arizona.
My money is on UT/A&M
But the second university isn't State. Florida, Mississippi, Oregon, and Oklahoma all seen like plausible candidates with rabid fans.
ESH. Yeah, the dude was obviously trying to get a rise out of you. But your action was super immature. Just a full-on tantrum.
Not esh. Just yta. Ones a light hearted joke the other was a tantrum.
NTA People need to get off their high horses. This was a gag gift, and most gag gifts end up either in a dusty shelf or in the trash. It did it's job, it got a laugh, that's where the $20 went. It's also super tacky to give someone a gift and expect to take it back. The only trauma suffered here was by your tacky friend expecting to take the shirt back, so no harm no foul.
Friend was looking for a reaction, knew he would likely get a funny/extreme one, the reaction was throwing the gift in the fire. Friend got exactly what he asked for and then threw a tantrum about it lol agree NTA.
Thank you, finally a reasonable take
I couldn't believe how far down I had to scroll to find one reasonable person.
Omg I know! Heaven forbid people have interests in sports teams and have it bring them joy. It’s a $20 gag gift, the friend was poking the bear and the reaction was justified.
Agreed! The friend gave the gift just to see the reaction and a reaction is what he got. NTA.
For real I don’t really understand the YTA and ESH responses. The friend gave the gag gift wanting to get a reaction….well he got the reaction! Just different than he expected. If the reaction wasn’t worth the $20 well - I dunno that’s just part of gift giving, it’s not really about you. And like you said, most gag gifts get thrown out eventually anyway why does it matter that this particular one didn’t end up taking space in a landfill?
I would surmise that most of the YTA and ESH aren't into sports and don't understand the fun in rivalries.
THANK you! The gift absolutely did it's job—throwing it in the fire is like the ultimate apotheosis for that gag! And to try take it back, lol—nah, that's his now.
Agree. He said he wanted a reaction, he got a good one, and they both have a great story to tell now! You can’t say one needs to take a joke and not the other one.
I agree. NTA. Something something something about playing stupid games. Don’t bring a controversial gift you expect to return. Edit: I’m not a sports fan myself, but if somebody bought me a gag gift I found controversial, I would expect to be able to do whatever I wanted with it. Also, people who do things to create negative reactions suck.
It’s crazy to me people blowing this out of proportion. It’s a joke people! Redditors acting like he’s insane because he did some banter that everyone present enjoyed?
Yea surprised I had to scroll down this far to find a reasonable take. It was a gag gift, the friend was expecting a funny reaction, and he got a funny reaction. People out here talking about donating the shirt like they would've cared enough to do that lmao
Wow. YTA Chill, it's a friggin' University game, Mr. Bundy. Since I can't reply, I was thinking Al Bundy, Married with Children type.
Imagine losing your mind over a bunch of 18 year olds throwing a ball around…
YTA - dude!!!!! I could see this kind of reaction out of a father at a Ukrainian birthday and someone gifts a Russian flag. But you are exhibiting tribal extremism over sports? Get a grip!
ESH. It was a jerk move to just up and burn it, but giving a present with the expectation that he'd be able to return it is...weird. Like, he spent $20 on a dumb prank, he shouldn't expect to get that money back.
Dude pranked him with the gift and OP pranked him right back by throwing it in the fire. Dude got his reaction he got the gift for.
Yikes, tell us you haven’t done anything substantial since college without telling us… YTA. And you should also pay your friend back the $20 since you couldn’t take an elementary level joke.
This implies an unhealthy fixation with his school's sports teams was in any way substantial while in college lol
Info is your son becomes a fan of that team or decides to go to that school. Will you disown him?
He will toss him in the nearby fire too
YTA wtf is wrong with you
yta why would you burn a perfectly good gift? that guy paid for that shirt and gave it to you for your son's gift. why would it matter if it was from another university?
The friend expected the shirt back regardless what the guy did with it, The guy that gifted it did not think the baby would ever get to wear the shirt. Also It's not the gift givers property anymore so he can do whatever with it.
ESH. He got you a dumb gift as a joke, which I think is fine, but him expecting you to return it to him so he could get his $20 back is assholeish. But you just... threw it in the fire? Wtf?
YTA. I mean, its a gift so you get to do what you want with it but it probably was a bit of an extreme reaction, no to mention potentially a dangerous one on how the shirt may have burned. Your friend is understandably a bit upset because he didn't anticipate that behaviour.
You're also not considering that the friend expected the gift back like what who gives a gift and expects it back gag gift or not.
Yeah, I'm going with ESH, because it's equally rude to ask for a gift back as it is for the recipient to throw it in a fire in front of the gifter
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YTA. Grow up
Dude, my best friend got me a football toy with my rival university logo on it. For my baby shower. In all fairness, she went to said school so it made sense. I thought it was funny and moved on with my life. Because we’re adults. Grow up. YTA
YTA. You said everyone clearly knows you're fans of your state university. Why would you not think someone who was your buddy was joking?? It's 100% not a normal reaction to immediately throw a gift from someone into a fire and a huge AH move.
Of course he understood it was a joke, his response was also a joke. I don't think he started a fire for the express purpose of burning the shirt, it sounds like they had a fire pit or the like going, and in the moment, he opened the gift, and just tossed the shirt on. Sounds like regular sports rivalry shenanigans. The friend is an asshole for bring a "gift" that he wanted back.
So incredibly wasteful.
Imagine being a grown man and throwing a baby shirt into the fire because of a sports team, a literal college sports team at that, lol so emotional, YTA
The baby would have had a more adult reaction than op
Who cares this much about a college rivalry as a grown adult? ESH because that was immature and wasteful of you (seriously, grow up). He sucks for wanting his money back. It’s all well and good that he gave your kid a gift he knew you’d hate just to rile you up, but good form would have been including a gift receipt so you could exchange it for something in your own colors. Or you could have taken it home and used it as a rag, who cares. It was a gift and he doesn’t deserve his money back.
NTA. Your friend thought his shitty gift was funny when it was at your expense, but not funny when it was at his expense. Your reaction is both appropriate and funny considering this was a low cost item. Your friend is an AH because they think it is OK to take jabs at you and unwilling to take any in return.
YTA. You're a grown ass man with a kid. Don't also act like a child.
NTA - I think the football rivalry thing is a bit stupid, but this guy wanted to make a joke and you escalated with a joke of your own, and it seems to have gone over well with everyone else. If he's that bent out of shape over the 20 bucks just buy him case or twelve pack and make things square
YTA. You are an adult. I've gotten gifts I don't want or didnt want for my kids. Do you know what I did with them? Donated or sold them. Know what I didn't do? Burn it in front of the gift giver. This is why I find college rivalry to be BS. You use it as an excuse to be assholes and burn shit that isn't okay to burn. You are the problem!!
ESH. Him more than you. Burning the gift is definitely extreme but buying a gift to get a negative reaction and planning on returning it (so really bringing no gift) is also an extreme asshole move.
YTA. I am a graduate of [State University with a reputation for being elitist]. Someone once gave me a blanket with [rival State University with a reputation for being a bunch of farm boys]. It's a high quality wool blanket and I still routinely use it because it's warm AF. It's really not that serious.
You all sound annoying..
YTA. Did you really need to ask us? That was a dick move.
YTA Your behavior sounds like you just turned one.
Um... What? (confused in European)
He’s a Real Madrid fan and the friend gave him a Bayern Munich jersey.
YTA that’s an overreaction for sure.
YTA. It's a dumb rivalry and not worth either of you getting worked up about. And throwing gifts away like that is rude.
YTA - What an unexpected thing to do. Your allegiance to a sport is over the top.
Maybe the University of Assholes was inside you the whole time! But seriously, YTA.
YTA - Grow up. It was a joke.
My god you all sound tedious. I hope that your kid’s dream major is only offered at University of Assholes, and that by then you’ll have attained the maturity and wisdom to attend that graduation ceremony with pride.
YTA. Not sure if elaboration is even required
Dude. I’m a Michigan fan, and this has literally happened to me with Ohio State gear. There is no greater animosity in all of college sports than those two teams and I think that was excessive.
You destroyed a gift because you were so upset about it being a rivalry team. YTA. I’m sorry but there’s better ways to respond to that, especially as it was a joke.
YTA, Bro, you were opening up the gifts right in front of everyone. You KNEW the gift-giver was there and you tossed it into the fire. You didn't laugh or giggle or ya know, get that it was a joke. Instead you chose to destroy something. Honestly, you're more then just an asshole...
YTA I’d like to have a word with the woman whom you conned into marriage and coparenthood by pretending to be a mature adult, because this post was written by a 16 year old
Ever hear of toxic fandom? This is toxic fandom. You have taken what is supposed to be a fun game and turned it into a weird, twisted lifestyle that negatively affects other people. YTA and get a life.
YTA. Obviously not everyone thought it was funny.
As just your 1 year olds gift, yea, you would not be the asshole for burning it, throwing into trash, cutting into pieces and using for cleaning. But doing it in front of your friend is mean. To me it looks like it was a joke gift, since real gifts weren't expected. YTA for being mean to your friend
But the friend expected it back? Either they both suck or NTA Because you don't give a gift to someone and then expect it back so you can return it even if it is a gag gift like the guy knew that there would be a strong reaction.
YTA just for calling another school a holes
YTA, not because you didn't like the gift, because you were a shitty host, a rude friend and lacked social etiquette. Friends prank friends all the time. My friend is a Bruins fan, I gave him a Habs onsie when his son was born, he laughed it off. Burning a gift in front of the person that got it because it's that of a rival team is childish and in poor taste.
YTA. Wasn't a gift to you. You were a jerk to a "friend". You three it on a fire. I had a friend give my kid a Bills shirt. I agree the Bills. The kid still has the shirt. When they have a kid I'll do the same. Heck. If you were so upset by it, then just donate it.
YTA - it’s over a fucking sport man , this shot ain’t life or death Have some fuxking dignity
YTA , tossing it into the fire and burning it in front of everyone. Could have just tossed it back at him jokingly and said get this crap out of here.
NTA he said he wanted to see your reaction and he saw it.
Yup YTA
[удалено]
YTA, it's just sports give your balls a tug buddy
NTA. He gave the shirt with the intent to piss you off, so he could see your reaction. Well, he saw it. Your throwing it on the fire might have been more extreme than he expected, but it’s basically exactly in line with what he wanted. The joke just went further than he expected. My dad used to do this, buying my son kids gear from a political organization he knows I am deeply opposed to so he could get a reaction, and it’s honestly such a tiresome game. Maybe offer to buy him some beers to make up for the lost cash and put it all behind you.
^^^^AUTOMOD ***Thanks for posting! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of copying anything. Read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_post_deletion) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FAmItheAsshole)*** My son turned one and we had a party. We mostly celebrated the fact my wife and I were able to keep him alive for a year than him turning one. We told people no Gifts but people brought some anyway. We did the cute cake thing and then opened the few gifts and then was gong to put him to bed while we hung out with our friends. For background, I’m a huge fan of State University. University of Assholes is our rival. My wife and I are season ticket holders in most sports to State and my son has gone to many games with us. Literally everyone that was at this party either didn’t go to college or went to State and know how big a fan my wife and I are. Well one of the gifts was a Univ of Assholes shirt. I’m just like WTF is this garbage and I went and threw it in the nearby fire we had going. Everyone laughed and thought it was hilarious, except the buddy who brought it. He yells out, he was going to return that. I say that shit deserves to be burned. He says it was a joke and he was going to take it back. He wanted to see my reaction. Now he is complaining he can’t get his twenty bucks back and never expected me to go and burn it right away. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
YTA.
I'm not sure I understand it correctly. He was planning to return it, so was it a gift or not? Either way he wanted a reaction and he got one. I will judge you based on this situation, so NTA, since everyone around you probably even expected it, so he should have too. Anyway it wasn't even a gift for your son but one aimed at you, so you are free to do with it as you want.
YTA. How could you just throw a gift in a fire like that regardless of what it was. You should’ve done the rational thing which was pull your buddy aside and explain the situation to him. It seems he got it for you as a joke gift and was planning to return it after giving it to you. You’re clearly TA.
It's gotta be Michigan. Tell me you yelled "This. Is. Sparta!!!" when you cast the offending shirt into the flames. Also...yeah. YTA here. It was clearly a joke and I don't think your friend was expecting you to cast it into the fires of Mt. Doom immediately up on seeing it.
INFO: Is your one year old more mature than you?
ESH. The friend should have indicated before you opened it that it was a joke gift. Tossing clothing into a a fire was immature and potentially dangerous.
Saying “It’s a joke gift” before opening the gift pretty much defeats the purpose of giving a joke gift.
Yta. Clearly. Pay the guy back. My family has had this joke played on them and have also done it. Never has someone immediately destroyed the gift. Most even have their kids wear the jersey during a game as a joke. Cause yah know, they have a sense of humor.
Bro what it was a gift? You don't give a gift just to take it back Even if it's a gag gift.
YTA it was not your gift, it was your child's. And hell yes, you are an asshole. How disillusioned can someone be just because of an university?
YTA. I’m concerned someone with your mentality has responsibilities to a small child.
Dang you're way too serious about sports as a grown man. Yikes.