List of Recent Bad Acts Links To Organizations That List Bad Acts Special Cases
Slidell, LA - August 5, 2010 - The New Orleans Times-Picayune Won A Legal Battle to Get Test Results on Jason Chighizola. The results confirmed that Chighizola tested positive for steroids in 2008 when he beat a rival coach to a bloody pulp following a baseball game in a 8-year-old's league. This one has it all: steroids, a coach losing it in a post-game handshake line, a grown man going nuts in a league for little children, and, yes, the two 8-year-old teams were the Yankees and the Red Sox. If it wasn't a true story, you wouldn't believe it. Chighizola was ultimately convicted of battery, and we can only hope that he never coaches anywhere again. He's a danger to us all - and to himself. See Slidell Youth Baseball Coach Who Beat Rival Coach Tested Positive For Steroids by Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, Times-Picayune, August 5, 2010.
Windsor, Ontario - August 1, 2010 - Parents Fight Gets 8-Year-Old League Soccer Teams DQd in Canadian Tournament. See Under-8 Soccer Teams Disqualified As Parents Fight, Regina Leader-Post, August 3, 2010.
Vallejo, CA - July 20, 2010 - Umpire knocked unconscious in Vallejo, CA Babe Ruth summer league game. See Coach Knocks Out Umpire In Teen Game, reported by Steve Large, CBS 13 Vallejo, CA, July 20, 2010.
Ann Arbor, MI - July 19, 2010 - Professional athlete pleads guilty to sexual assault charge. Okay, this site generally deals with sportsmanship issues, not crimes. However, this crime is unusual because the professional athlete is a hacky sack player. Yes, hacky sack... you know, the silly game where a bunch of guys kick a little pouch around during lunch break. Who would have thought that we'd see a self-entitled, boorish lout of an athlete from the world of hacky sack? See Professional Hacky Sack Player From Ann Arbor Pleads Guilty To Sexual Assault Charge by Art Aisner, AnnArbor.com, July 19, 2010.
Harrogate, TN - July 16, 2010 - Tennessee Little League coach attacks umpire. See Blount County Little League Coach Arrested For Attacking Umpire by Josh Ault, WATE.com, July 16, 2010.
Ann Arbor, MI - July 3, 2010 - Post-Game Handshake Fight in Youth Baseball Game Sends Teens To Hospital. See Fight Breaks Out At Youth Baseball Game At University of Michigan Field by Tina Reed, AnnArbor.com, July 5, 2010.
Westchester, N.Y. - June 27, 2010 - WFAS New York's Tony Fiorino, host of WFAS New York's Let Them Play show, describes how youth parents can very easily have incidents. Coach Tony was watching his 9 year old daughter's soccer game when trouble broke out. Hear Coach Tony describe the tension amongst the parents, and the loony dad who ran on the field, and click here for a show description and a link to the show or click here to jump directly to the show. Ask yourself if the loony dad should have run on the field, if Coach Tony should have spoken to the officials, if other fans should have mocked the loony dad, and lots of other things that could trigger an incident.
Eagle-Vail, CO - June 12, 2010 - Goalie Allegedly Assaults Referee in Eagle-Vail, Vail Daily, June 12, 2010. Referees are frequently under attack, but people should take note that in many of these attacks (but not enough of them), the assailant is arrested and prosecuted. Batteries on sports officials are not worth the legal problems. Assailants will eventually learn this lesson - we hope.
Concord, MI - June 5, 2010 - Brawl Mars Michigan HS Playoff Game. See Concord, Homer Baseball Coaches Reflect on Brawl; MHSAA Confirms Game Will Not Be Finished by Gary Kalahar, Jackson Citizen-Patriot, June 8, 2010.
Perry Township, Ohio – May 28, 2010 - Mentor Officer Allegedly Assaults Little League Coach by Elisa Amigo, Fox News 8.
Muskegon, MI - May 15, 2010 - Don't Verbally Abuse The Coach When James Ian Sherril Is Around! See Youth Soccer Coach Says Man Was Trying To Defend Her When He Pulled Out Pistol by Heather Lynn Peters, Muskegon Chronicle, May 17, 2010. On a more serious note, one of the problems of poor sportsmanship (such as having a parent verbally abuse a coach) is that it invites other people to intercede. Sherril appears to be a well-meaning sort who allegedly picked a rather poor method of telling a verbally abusive parent to back off. Now, we should note that the parent who allegedly verbally abused the coach was way out of line. It is not the parent's role to "discipline" or "manage" the coach. By the same token, it is not Sherril's role to "manage" the spectators. Where everybody strays from their proper role, chaos rules and problems occur.
Odessa, TX - May 12, 2010 - Permian HS Forfeits After 22-Year Old Texan Is Caught, Posing As 16-Year Old HS Student. See Permian Player Is Impostor by Craig Craker, Odessa American, May 12, 2010; and Texas School Permian Forfeits Wins After Player Admits He's 22 by Jim Halley, USA Today, May 12, 2010. This happened earlier this year in Arizona. See Yuma High School Duped By 22-Year-Old Man Posing As Student So He Could Play Basketball by James King, Phoenix New Times, November 6, 2009.
Fredericksburg, VA – May 4, 2010 - Sometimes you just wonder about these grown men who coach young kids and attack youth umpires. In Virginia, Jason Adkins, a 34 year old youth soccer coach, was arrested for an alleged attack against a 16 year old boy who was officiating a game in a league for 11 year old kids. Adkins allegedly entered the field of play to complain about a call, grabbing the 16 year old by the shirt. When the 16 year old official’s 20 year old partner came to assist, Adkins allegedly pushed him and broke his sunglasses. Quite a guy, - and he’s coaching somebody’s kids. See Soccer Coach Arrested For Assaulting Ref, Fox Channel 5, Washington, D.C., May 5, 2010; and Youth Soccer Coach Charged With Assaulting Young Refs by Keith Epps, Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, May 5, 2010.
Samoa - April 21, 2010 - Wild Brawl In Samoan High School Soccer Championship Leads To Cancellation of All School Sports For The Rest of The School Year. See DOE Cancels School Sports For The School Year by Tina Mata’afa, SamoaNews.com, April 27, 2010.
Fort Mill, S.C. - April 9, 2010 - Flag Football Player Charged In Assault On Refs at Leroy Springs, Fort Mill Herald, April 12, 2010.
Texas City, TX - April 8, 2010 - Texas City Little League Hit With Rash of Coach Misconduct. First, two coaches fought in March after a trick play. In April, one coach was arrested following a profane verbal dispute. See Youth Coaches Fined After Baseball Game Fight by Chris Paschenko, Galveston Daily News, March 31, 2010 (reprinted at KHOU); 3rd Texas City Little League Coach Faces Charges by Chris Paschenko, Galveston Daily News, April 15, 2010; and Little League Coach is Suspended For F-Word by Chris Paschecnko, Galveston Daily News, April 16, 2010.
Pinole, CA - April 14, 2010 - Youth Shot As High School Track Meet Turns Violent by John Cote´, San Francisco Chronicle, April 15, 2010 page C2. This just doesn't happen at track meets, but it did. Something triggered a series of fights at a track meet between Pinole Valley, El Cerrito, De Anza and Hercules High Schools. Multiple fights broke out on the track, and one person was shot. The alleged shooter then fled, and was later caught by police near a Red Onion restaurant. It is not clear how this fight started, and it's not even clear whether the fighters were members of the track teams. As mid-week track meets don't normally tend to draw a large crowd, one does have to wonder whether the fights were linked to the meet. Time will tell.
Temecula, CA - April 4, 2010 - Another Referee Attacked & Hospitalized. This time it's an adult soccer game. See Police: SoCal Soccer Referee Attacked By Ejected Player, Associated Press report in Signonsandiego.com, April 6, 2010.
Philadelphia, PA - March 16, 2010 - Philadelphia School Loses By 30 In Playoffs, Blames "Racist" Officials. Nothing New, Here. They Lost In Playoffs In 2009, and Blamed "Racist" Officials For That Loss Too. Sometimes you're inclined to feel sorry for high school teams in State Playoff competition. They're playing out of their area, facing different skill levels, and styles of play. The officials may be seeing a different style of play, too. You can almost begin to feel sorry for the Math, Civics and Sciences Charter High School of Philadelphia - even if you're inclined to disagree with their charges of racist and biased officiating. Then you realize that they received seven technical fouls, and the game was called with 13 seconds to go when a MC&S Charter "whipped the ball" into the stands. Now, it's harder to feel sorry for this team. They didn't carry themselves with dignity on the court, and their charges of racially biased officiating certainly don't indicate a lot of off-court dignity. When you lose by 30 points and accuse people whom you don't know of racism without any evidence other than a disagreement with some calls, you simply don't have dignity. For more, see Math, Civics, and Science Founder Alleges 'Discrimination' by Referees by Ted Silary, Philadelphia Daily News, March 23, 2010.
Toms River, N.J. - March 14, 2010 - NJ Girls Basketball: Incident In The Handshake Line mars Group 1 Final by Chris Orlando, NJ.com, March 14, 2010 (ejected player comes out swinging during post-game handshake). An interesting sidenote: one of the officials was quoted as saying the ejected player should have been taken to the locker room. No she shouldn't. For supervision reasons, ejected high school players are ejected to the bench. The same social forces that lead to the increase in poor sportsmanship make it unsafe to leave a high schooler unsupervised following an ejection so rulesmakers send ejected high schoolers to the bench.
Bay Shore, NY - March 10, 2010 - Fan Slashed, Receives 15 Stitches As Spectator’s Insult Triggers Brutal Fight At Long Island Basketball Game. See Arrest Made In Fight At Basketball Game By N.J. Burkett, ABC TV Bay Shore, NY, March 10, 2010.
Philadelphia, PA - March 1, 2010 - Cheerleading Brawl In Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Girls’ Public League expected 2,500 fans but they got 6,000 and couldn’t handle it. This ugly incident led to police intervention. The one light at the end of the tunnel is, of course, the intense interest in cheerleading. 6,000 is a lot of spectators. See Girl Fight At Overcrowded Cheerleading Event by Karen Araiza, NBC Philadelphia..
Charleston, SC - Feb. 27, 2010 - Post-game handshake line turns into brawl in this South Carolina high school basketball game. See Fight Breaks Out At Upstate High School Basketball Game, Channel 5 News, Charleston, SC, Feb. 25, 2010; and Basketbrawl: High School Puts Both Schools On Warning, WSPA Channel 12 (Greenville, SC), February 26, 2010. In the aftermath of this incident some South Carolina coaches are questioning whether they should continue to have post-game handshakes. These coaches know that post-game handshake bans inevitably touch off media controversies so one idea that's been floated is to have a pre-game handshake. See Coaches Consider Ban on Post-Game Handshake by Scott Keepfer, Greenville News (on-line edition), February 26, 2010.
Nashville, TN - February 13, 2010 - Poor Sportsmanship, Rivalry Game, No Security, No Police, and a Controversial Ending - A Recipe For Post-Game Trouble: Timing Dispute Launches Attack in Tennessee High School Game. Nashville's Maplewood High lost a game on a buzzer beater so they not only blamed the timer, they confronted her, one girl hit her, and the gym went crazy. Host Stratford High School and Maplewood received TSSAA sanctions: Maplewood for their lack of sportsmanship and Stratford for not meeting a state requirement of providing security at all games. A school district security officer noted that this was a rivalry game that also required police. The combination of people who lack inherent grace in accepting a frustrating result (i.e. they lack sportsmanship), combined with a propensity to violence and a lack of security led to the inevitable here. See Metro Schools Sanctioned After Game Melee: No Security, Police At Game Between Maplewood, Stratford, WSMV TV 4, Nashville, reported by Jonathan Martin, February 17, 2010.
Minneapolis, MN - February 13, 2010 - More Timing Disputes: Another Parent Who Can't Control Himself: This Moron Yells At The Ref, Touches Off a Melee, and Gets Arrested - All Over a Timing Dispute At A 6th Grade Basketball Game. See Parent Could Face Assault Charges After Alleged Assault At Burnsville Basketball Game by Joseph Palmersheim, Minnesota Sun, February 15, 2010; and Parent Arrested After Melee At Burnsville Youth Basketball Game by Nick Ferraro, St. Paul Pioneer Press, February 16, 2010.
Hartford, CT - February 12, 2010 - Post-Game Handshake Fight Touches Off Spectator Riot. Multiple Parents Arrested. See Four Parents Arrested After Fight at HS Hoops Game, Hartford Courant On-Line, Feb. 12, 2010; and Names Released of Parents Involved In High School Basketball Game Brawl by Grace E. Merritt, The Hartford Courant, February 13, 2010.
Camillus, N.Y. - February 10, 2010 - Hard Foul In Youth Basketball Game Sparks Attack on Ref and Full-Scale Brawl Involving Parents and Players. See Brawl Breaks Out At Youth Basketball Game by Brandon Roth, CNY Central.com, February 10, 2010.
Jackson, MI - February 7, 2010 - Ugly Fight Mars Mississippi Soccer Championship. The fight's posted on youtube at the following URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqTmnS9QiW8. For more, see Students Disciplined For Soccer Fight, WAPT, Jackson, MI, Feb. 10, 2010; and High School Soccer Championship Soccer Match Turns Vicious, WSFA Channel 12 (Gulfport, Mississippi), February 26, 2010.
Oakland, CA - February 4, 2010 - Oakland Takes Proactive Approach When Faced With Threat of Spectator Violence. See OAL Basketball Games Between Oakland High and McClymonds Postponed Because of Concerns About Potential Violence by Jimmy Durkin, Oakland Tribune, February 4, 2010.
Monessen, PA – Feb. 2, 2010 – Halftime Fight At Basketball Game Spills From Gym to Hallways, leads to multiple arrests. See Student Stunned By Monessen Police During Basketball Brawl, The Pittsburgh Channel, Feb. 27, 2010; See Police Shock Pa. High School Student With Taser After Fight, Foxnews.com, February 2, 2010; Click here for video
Liberty Township, N.J. - January 30, 2010 - Spectator Arrested For Bashing Youth Wrestling Coach. See Liberty Township Man Arrested Following Wrestling Tournament Brawl At Belvedere High School by Sarah M. Wojcik, LehighValleyLive.com, February 1, 2010. Note: the headline refers to this as a brawl, but when you read the article it sure doesn't sound like a brawl. A brawl implies that two people fought. Here, the spectator appears to have simply jumped out of the stands and launched an attack.
Monessen, PA - January 29, 2010 - Police called in to break up brawl at basketball game: arrests made and tasers used. See Brawl Breaks Out at Basketball Game in Monessen, KDKA Channel 2, Pittsburgh, PA, Jan. 30, 2010. Tasered student speaks out: See Student Speaks Out Over Brawl at High School, KDKA Channel 2, Pittsburgh, PA, Jan. 31, 2010.
Nashville, TN - January 28, 2010 - Basketball Player Expelled For Threatening To Kill His Coach on Facebook. Taylor Cumnings, a Nashville basketball player butted heads with his coach. So he went home and threatened to kill the coach. That’s right, Taylor got on Facebook and wrote, “I’ma kill em all.” Taylor’s school expelled him. Now Taylor said he was just venting and didn’t really mean it. Taylor’s case raises all kinds of social and legal issues. To read some excellent coverage of the ramifications, see Tennessee Teen Expelled For Facebook Posting by Jaime Sarrio, The Nashville Tennessean, reprinted in USA Today, January 28, 2010; and Expulsion Feeds Debate On Online Rights by Jaime Sarrio and Emily Bazar, USA Today, February 2, 2010 page 3A.
Tecumseh, MI - January 23, 2010 - Official Grabs Throat To Stop Confrontation by Mickey Alvarado, Tecumseh Herald, January 25, 2010. The official (Erich Schifter) grabbed a wrestler (Tim Elkins of Tecumseh HS) by the throat to break up two wrestlers who were wrestling while out of bounds. The official then walked the wrestler across the mat while gripping the wrestler's throat and screaming, "You don't misbehave on my mat." The wrestler's reply? "Let go of my throat." Words don't do this justice, but the link provides the video.
San Marino, CA - January 20, 2010 - California High School Coach Makes Physical Contact With Referee ... And Some Folks Blame the Referee. This is a case that shows how little sympathy an official gets in an ugly incident. Coach Basil Woodruff, the girls' coach at Monrovia High School in California, approached two officials after a tough overtime loss. The officials were using a standard technique of coach-avoidance by standing together at half court well away from the bench area. This technique assures that the officials won't be an easy target for an angry player or coach as the player or coach would have to walk across the gym to get at the official... and sure enough, Coach Woodruff took the long walk and engaged in a dispute with the officials. Woodruff is wrong in a big way the moment he takes that walk as he has actively pursued a referee. It gets worse, though. Woodruff and the officials allegedly make contact. Woodruff's technical defense is that the referee initiated the contact. Allegedly, the referee put her hand out and that's when the contact occurred. So, let me see if I've got this right. Some guy goes out of his way to come after you at the end of a game. You stick your hand out to gesture, "back off, please." The guy doesn't back off and claims that any contact is your fault. Some people will accept Woodruff's defense.. some won't. But this illustrates the problems referees have. They work in an environment where many people think it's acceptable to chase them down and get in their face; then, those same people blame the referee when contact occurs. Woodruff quite properly got suspended. His school didnt' have the guts to fire him... yet. They may be waiting for the end of the year. See Girls Basketball: Woodruff To Stay on As Monrovia Coach, From The Sidelines Column by Miguel Melendez, Pasadena Star-News, Jan. 25, 2010.
Oak Park, IL - January 15, 2010 - Oak Park Kids Fight After Basketball Game, Attack Cop Who Tries To Break Fight Up. See Eight Charged In OPRF Post-Game Fight by John P. Huston, Oak Park Pioneer Press, January 18, 2010; and see 8 Arrested In High School Basketball Fight, Chicago Sun Times, Jan. 22, 2010.
Oakland, CA - Jan. 12, 2010 - One Hospitalized After Fight At Oakland HS Basketball Game, KTVU Channel 2, Oakland, CA.
Romeo, MI - January 8, 2010 - High School Sinks Buzzer Beater for Win, But Loses Game Due to An Excessive and Unsportsmanlike Celebration. See Romeo Wins in Overtime After Foul Called In Dakota Game by Rick Desotell, Romeo Observer, January 9, 2010. An amusing vignette, here. These small towns appear to have "hometown" newspapers. The losing team's newspaper downplayed the incident, but it has a reader's page. The reader's make it clear that after the buzzer beater, the players from Macon Dakota High School did a bit more than celebrate. Some of them ran over to the Romeo High School bench, taunted the Romeo players, and basically made complete buttheads out of themselves. See Romeo Wins Basketball Game, Dakota To Protest, Macomb Daily, January 9, 2010.
Sikeston, MO - January 8, 2010 - Spectators Fight In Stands at High School Game. See Two Teenagers Arrested At Sikeston-Charleston Basketball Game, Southeast Missourian, January 10, 2010.
Salt Lake City, UT - Jan. 7, 2010 - Fans Rush Court, Arrests Made At Utah High School Basketball Game. See Fight At High School Basketball Game Could Result In Multiple Charges by Randall Jeppesen, KSL Channel 5, Salt Lake City, Jan. 7, 2010.
Philadelphia, PA - Jan. 7, 2010 - Fans Beat Up Opposing Players and Coach After Loss. This was to quote the referee, "disgraceful." Olney High School of Philadelphia has a problem. Its fans can't stand losing, and they try to bully their opponents. You've seen it: fans press up against the court, threaten players, badger officials, become unruly when you try to move them. Well, this game had it all. The officials finally had to call the game early with the home team well behind. It didn't stop the fans. They beat up Franklin High School of Philadelphia in the parking lot. Was this game undersecured? Hard to say. Olney says it had one school police officer. However, some games need more than one. See Frankford Hoops Team Attacked by Dana DiFilippo and Ted Silary, Philadelphia Daily News, January 9, 2010. The Philadelphia School District (or its athletic office) reacted to this brawl by putting severe restrictions on who can attend Olney games. See Olney High Sees Fewer Spectators After Brawl by Rick O'Brien, Philadelphia Inquirer, January 15, 2010.
Houston, TX - January 4, 2010 - More Running Up The Score - And It's Only January - 170-35 Basketball Rout. Is this the right way to do things? Houston's Yates High Seems To Think That Piling It On Is OK. See Fair Play or Bad Sportsmanship by Kevin Quinn, ABC TV 13, Houston, TX, January 6, 2010. One bad turn led to another in Houston. Running up the score leads to bad atmosphere, fights, and post-game verbal jousting between the "disrespected" Lee Coach and the Coach from Yates, who said what every coach who runs up the score says, "[My subs] work really hard in practice, and when they go in, they deserve the chance to play hard and compete, too." See Yates Sets Texas Scoring Record In 170-35 Win: Lions Break 18-Year-Old Record In Fight-Marred Victory over Lee by Jenny Dial, Houston Chronicle, January 5, 2010. For more, see the running up the score page.
Chicago, IL - Dec. 26, 2009 - Big Fight at Rich South After Basketball Game. One Girl, Miracle Jackson, says she had nothing to do with the fight and is the victim of police brutality. Interestingly, that's how the Chicago's NBC TV covered this. That's right, the headline isn't, "Riot at Game." Oh no! The headline is Richton Park Teen Girls Allege Police Brutality by BJ Lutz and Natalie Martinez, NBC Chicago, December 29, 2009.
Amarillo, TX - December 21, 2009 - Angry Player Spits On College Basketball Referee. Why, you ask? Well, he didn't like the calls. Officiating is the only business where someone thinks they're justified in attacking someone if they disagree with them. This is a disgrace and here's hoping that the player who did this is suspended for an extremely long time. See Buffs Impressive in Rout of Lions by Lance Lahnert, Amarillo Globe-News, December 22, 2009
Hawaii Survives "Minor" Post-Game Handshake Incident At State Football Championships. See Postgame Handshakes Can Be Valuable Learning Tool, Honolulu Advertiser Prep Talk Blog, November 10, 2009.
Cincinnati, Ohio - December 15, 2009 - Mob of Students Attack Ohio Officer Who Broke Up Fight, WTVG-TV - Toledo, Ohio Channel 13, December 20, 2009. The worst things about this incident is that these were elementary and middle school kids. The officer broke up a fight and was walking the fighters out of the gym when 30 kids attacked him. Some of these youngsters went so far as to grab for the officer's gun. Also see, Police Officer Hurt In Fight Has Concussion, WKRC 12 - Cincinnati, December 18, 2009.
Omaha, NE - December 4, 2009 - Gunshots Fly at Omaha Basketball Game. See Violence Sparks Increased Tournament Security by Jodi Baker, WOWT, Dec. 4, 2009.
Shawnee Mission, Kansas - November 11, 2009 - Point Deduction For Poor Sportsmanship Costs Kansas Team The Gymnastics State Title. See Gym Coach's Complaints Cost Team State Title by Tom Bergeron, rivals.com, November 11, 2009. The coach made an inquiry about the scoring of the balance beam. In gymnastics, this would be the equivalent of getting a technical foul for walking outside of the coaching box. Maybe it equates to being ejected for questioning balls and strikes. In other words, it's not the worse thing ever, but it is a sportsmanship violation and for a coach to cost his team a state championship for being a bad sport is pretty much inexcusable.
Providence, RI - November 8, 2009 - Players and Fans Brawl In Rhode Island High School Soccer Final. For video, see Fight Breaks Out At Rhode Island Soccer Game, Boston.com, November 9, 2009; and Brawls Break Out At Girls' Soccer Game, Bill Tomison with reporting by Sara Hogan and Patrick Little, WPRI, Providence, Rhode Island, November 9, 2009. As bad as the brawl was, it wasn't the most blatant act of poor sportsmanship in soccer in November, 2009. University of New Mexico soccer player Elizabeth Lambert wins that prize as you can see on video at New Mexico Player Banned, Apologizes, ESPN.com, November 6, 2009.
Orange, NJ - November 6, 2009 - 3 Fights and You're Out. Football Team Banned From Playoffs Due to Cumulative Ejections. See NJ High School Football: West Orange Banned From Postseason Play by Matthew Stanmyre, Newark Star- Ledger, November 9, 2009.
Yuma, AZ - November 5, 2009 - 22 Year-Old Poses as Student So He Can Play High School Basketball. Anthony Avalos, the 22-year old, didn't learn very well his first go-round in high school; he was caught because of numerous misspellings on a forged birth certificate. This could be a somewhat amusing story except Anthony didn't restrict himself to basketball. He allegedly returned to dating high school girls, who are generally under-age, and yes, he had sex with one of the under-age high school girls. So, a potentially amusing forgery and fraud crime now becomes a most-definitely unamusing forgery, fraud and sex crime. Anthony will undoubtedly be going to prison for a very long time, and will surely be a registered sex offender. See Yuma High School Duped By 22-Year-Old Man Posing As Student So He Could Play Basketball by James King, Phoenix New Times, November 6, 2009.
Oakland, CA - November 3, 2009 - Jeremy Brigham, a former NFL player, attacks a parent at a Pee-Wee League football game. This isn't the first time a former athlete went nuts at a youth game. The strange thing with this one is that the athlete's a coach and he attacked a parent. We don't commonly see coaches attacking parents. Click here for more.
Rochester, N.Y. - October 29, 2009 - Adult Rec-League football player charged with first-degree felony assault for hitting an official over the head with his helmet. See Football Attack Stuns Team, Referees, Rochester Democrat Chronicle, October 29, 2009.
Pensacola, FL - October 24, 2009 - No Rush To Judgment Against Accused Florida Youth Football Coach. The same video that lets us see so many bad acts in youth sports can sometimes help clear charges against people accused of violence. That's what youth football coach Tim Tolbert hopes, anyway. Tolbert allegedly "broke up" a football fight by bashing a kid over the head with a helmet. Tolbert, the chief building inspector for Florida's Santa Rosa County, is under criminal investigation. Click here for coverage on WEAR Pensacola Channel 3. But wait: Tolbert says that video shows that he's not the guy who did it! Click here for video of the fight and Laura Hussey's follow up story on WEAR Channel 3. Tolbert's alleged attack occurred in October, and as of December charges have still not been brought as the police are still investigating. See Tolbert Investigation Lingers by Jennifer Hensley, Navarre Press, December 2, 2009.
Carrolton, IL - October 17, 2009 - Woman Charged With Battery For Alleged Referee Attack. Julie Teno of Roodhouse, Il. allegedly charged the field and hit the referee during a youth football game in Carrolton, IL. See Woman Charged For Allegedly Striking Referee by Maggie Borman, The Illinois Telegraph, December 15, 2009
Columbus, Ohio - October 16, 2009 - Ugly post-game fight at Ohio's Northland High led school officials to consider cancelling the remainder of the season. The two schools ultimately decided to do community service. See High School Football: Brawl Might Prompt Northland to Cancel Rest of Season by Steve Blackledge, Columbus Dispatch, October 20, 2009; and Football Players To Perform Community Service After Brawl, Ohio 10TV News, October 20, 2009; and High School Football: Players Must Perform Community Service, Columbus Dispatch, October 21, 2009.
Shade Township, PA - October 18, 2009 - Ugly Ending to Pennsylvania Youth Football Game. See Charges Filed After Crowd Confronts Ref After Youth Game by Dan DiPaolo, Somerset Daily American, November 30, 2009.
Los Angeles, CA - October 17, 2009 - 5 Arrested in Brawl At Fairfax High School Football Game, CBS2 Los Angeles, CA.
Eaton, CO - October 5, 2009 - This one has it all: parents confronting coaches; coaches fighting; and a youth football team refusing to play because their opponent had a girl (11-year old Mikayla Crespin) on the team. See Football Coach Throws Punch Over Girls' Right To Play by Emily Friedman, ABCNews.com, October 7, 2009; and Flag! Coaches Brawl Over Girl Playing Youth Football by Alan Gathright and Tyler Lopez, Denver Channel, October 6, 2009.
Hickman, KY - October 2, 2009 - Players, Coaches, Fans Take To The Field. Brawl Ends Ky. High School Game, Associated Press Wire Service, Cincinnati Enquirer, October 5, 2009.
Clarksdale, MI - September 26, 2009 - Mississippi Officials Investigate Brawl At Blowout High School Game, Associated Press Wire on al.com, October 1, 2009. This bench clearing brawl among players and some fans from the stands occurred near the end of a 54-0 blowout between Coahoma County High School and Coahoma Agricultural High School.
Boynton Beach, Fl - September 26, 2009 - Little Players, Big Fight. 30 Spectators Duke It Out in Parking Lot At Halftime of Youth Football Game. See Boynton Beach Police Arrest 8 After PAL Fight, Palm Beach Post, September 28, 2009.
Massillon, Ohio - September 22, 2009 - Nutty Fan Gets Arrested, Turns Out to Be An Off-Duty Police Officer. See Police Officer Arrested At High School Football Game, wtov9, Steuvenville, Ohio.
Lisbon, Ohio - September 22, 2009 - Football Fan Arrested at Lisbon Game, East Liverpool Review, September 22, 2009.
Farmington, N.Y. - September 18, 2009 - Man Arrested For Menacing After Brandishing A Handgun On A Golf Course, WHEC.com.
Delray Beach, FL - September 17, 2009 - A tough football season gets tougher with a fight that spilled from the stands into the parking lot in Florida. See Pepper Spray, Stun Gun used To Stop Brawl at Delray Beach Football Game by Jerome Burdi, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, September 18, 2009.
Tulsa, OK - September 10, 2009 - 3 Arrests, 9 Injured at Tulsa HS Football Game! Gang tensions lead to fights at Booker T. Washington High School football game in Tulsa. Police use pepper spray to break it up. See Fights Break Out At Booker T. Washington Football Game, Tulsa World, September 11, 2009; and Brawl Ends High School Football Game, KOCO Channel 5, Oklahoma City.
Chicago, IL - September 6, 2009 - Chicago coach shot because he removed player from game. Sad but true: A player in a league designed to keep troubled youth off the streets, kind of missed the point of the league, got mad at his coach and tried to kill him. The player shot his coach twice, but, fortunately, ran out of bullets before he could finish the coach off. See Baseball Coach Shot At Abbott Park in Roseland, WGN, September 6, 2009; Teen Baseball Player Shoots Coach After Argument by Jeremy Gorner and Will Lee, Chicago Tribune, September 7, 2009.
Chicago, IL - September 4, 2009 - The 2008-09 academic year was a particularly violent year for Chicago sports teams so the last thing they needed was a major brawl to start off the 2009-10 academic year. Unfortunately, that's exactly what they got. North Chicago High School and Simeon started the year with a brawl sufficiently bad to lead officials to call the game in the first quarter. See Fight Ends North Chicago-Simeon Game by Tina Sfondeles, Chicago Sun Times's Yourseason.com, September 4, 2009; and Fight Breaks Out, Prep Football Game Canceled, WGN, September 5, 2009.
St. George, UT - September 3, 2009 - An old-fashioned fight. Utah teams brawl but they brawled the old-fashioned way, just the guys on the field. No crazed parents, no gangs, no fans, just players. Poor sportsmanship, yes! However, this year's been so violent that it's almost refreshing to see an old-fashioned act of poor sportsmanship. See High School Football: Cottonwood Shuts Out Pine View In Fight-Marred Game by Andy Griffin, Salt Lake City Deseret News, September 4, 2009.
Pittsburgh, PA - August 25, 2009 - Good clean fun, hazing, thuggery? We just don't know. What we do know is 5 football players decided that it was a good idea to shoot bb guns at their teammates during a break in practice. They're off the team and facing expulsion. Zero tolerance? The heck with that. Demarrio Patterson, one of the players on the team, put it all in perspective - at least from a youth perspective - telling news reporters, "It was an air soft bb gun ... that stings for 20 seconds and goes away." Yeah, tell 'em Demarrio. Toughen up. Who are we adults to complain about bb guns and coaches who punch their athletes and fights and guns at games. Suck it up and get tough. For more, see 5 H.S. Players Accused In Pellet Gun Shooting Kicked Off Team, WPXI, Pittsburgh, PA, August 25, 2009; and HS Students Face Punishment In Pellet Gun Fight, KDKA Channel 2, Pittsburgh, PA, August 26, 2009..
Oxnard, CA - August 22, 2009 - One of the bad things about having relatives at games is their attempts to help generally make things worse. In Oxnard, CA, a 20 year old spectator charged the field and attacked a 13 year old kid. The poor kid never had a chance. The attacker was a grown man and the attacker hit the kid from the blindside. The kid's in the hospital with a possibly broken nose right now. The logic behind this crazy act: the man's brother was playing in the game, and at the end of the game a fight broke out between members of the two teams. Remember, fans belong in the stands - even if their relatives are in a fight. See Man Arrested For Punching Player After Soccer Game, Ventura County Star, August 22, 2009; and Man Accused of Punching 13-year-old During Youth Soccer Game, L.A. Times, August 23, 2009.
Douglas County, GA - August 14, 2009 - A gang fight results in a stabbing at a high school football scrimmage. The unfortunate reality of our youth sports world is the extraordinary amount of poor sportsmanship and even violence that mar what should be joyful experiences. The poor economy may bring out some even uglier incidents this year as people will be on edge and have idle time on their hands. This early season incident could be a harbinger of very ugly things to come. See High School football Brawl, Stabbing Result in 7 Arrests by Alexis Stevens, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, August 15, 2009.
LINKS TO ORGANIZATIONS THAT LIST BAD ACTS
Fans Behaving Badly - The Florida Today Little League Bad Act Site.
National Association of Sports Officials
Half Moon Bay High School, CA - Half Moon Bay High School Fans Have A Tradition of Streaking During High School Football Games and Allegedly Have Used Racial or Homophobic Epithets Against Visiting Teams On More Than One Occasion. See Racial Slurs Spark Fury by Heather Murtagh, San Mateo Daily Journal, Nov. 9, 2007; and Sequoia Threatens Penalty In Football Melee by Jason Goldman-Hall, San Francisco Examiner, Nov. 9, 2007, and No Proof About Who Taunted Sequoia High Players, Fans by Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle, Nov. 9, 2007 page B8. Streaking, Racial and Homophobic Slurs, and Overall Poor Sportsmanship At Half Moon Bay High School Football Games Sparks Civil Grand Jury Investigation. See Grand Jury Questions HMB High School Plans, San Mateo Daily Journal, July 15, 2008. See San Mateo County Grand Jury Report of 2008 on Addressing Unacceptable Behavior At Half Moon Bay High School Sporting Events..
Camden High School, New Jersey - Camden High School Has Been Removed From the New Jersey State Tournament Three Times In The Past Thirty Years For Unsportsmanlike Incidents, Lack of Crowd Control, and Other Problems. For A Description of These Problems See Athletes Must Learn Violence Is Not Okay, New Jersey Courier-Post, March 11, 2006.
ONGOING PROBLEMS AT RICH SOUTH H.S. IN ILLINOIS: Rich South High School has been beset by sportsmanship problems over the last few years. They have had difficulty solving them, and not all their attempts to do so have been well received.
Dec. 26, 2009 - Big Fight at Rich South After Basketball Game. One Girl, Miracle Jackson, says she had nothing to do with the fight and is the victim of police brutality. Interestingly, that's how the Chicago's NBC TV covered this. That's right, the headline isn't, "Riot at Game." Oh no! The headline is Richton Park Teen Girls Allege Police Brutality by BJ Lutz and Natalie Martinez, NBC Chicago, December 29, 2009.
March 2005: Racial Overtones as white schools want to leave Rich South's Athletic Conference.