Ryan Howard responds to fans who said he listens to Nickelback

A group of Atlanta Braves fans held a sign at Turner Field on Tuesday night during their team’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies that read,” Ryan Howard listens to Nickelback.” For some, that is the ultimate insult. For Ryan Howard, it simply creates confusion over how a group of girls knew what he has on his iPod.

When asked about the sign after the game, Howard seemed puzzled.

“Damn, that’s outrageous,” he said, per Todd Zolecki of The Zo Zone. “I didn’t know that. Is it bad to listen to Nickelback?”

Howard had to have been playing along, right? Maybe not.

“I mean, I’m not afraid to say that I diversify my musical portfolio,” he added. “I didn’t know they could see or hear what … how do they know I listen to Nickelback? I listen to everything. I don’t know if there’s a specific song by Nickelback (I listen to).”

First of all, the sign is trolling at it’s finest. Anyone can chant “Howard sucks” or hold up a sign that displays his .231 batting average, but the Nickelback angle is unique if nothing else. If Howard was fighting fire with fire by playing dumb, more power to him.

For those of you who don’t understand the joke or why it would be an insult to call someone out for listening to Nickelback, here you go:

H/T Hardball Talk