July 21, 2024 - Alameda, CA - Teen Hurt During Youth Basketball Game When Player Stomps on His Head, reported by Stephanie Ellison, NBC News, July 25, 2024. NBC has video of the incident, but they sanitized it a bit. This was an attack on a prone player, and should be reported as such. The New York Post looks for tabloid headlines sometimes, and they're very good at conveying the true emotion of incidents such as this one. See California Basketball Player, 13, Stomps On Opponent's Head In Game In Disturbing Attack: 'Size of His Shoe On His Face.', reported by Richard Pollina, July 24, 2024.
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July 15, 2024 - Wilson, NC - Cherryville Little League Coach Suspended After Fight With Umpire At State Tournament, reported by Daniel Pierce, WNCT - TV9 (Greenville, NC).
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July 7, 2024 - Cedar Rapids, Iowa - Fight Breaks Out at Cedar Rapids Youth Football Tournament, reported by Brian Tabick, KCRG - TV 2, Cedar Rapids, July 9, 2024.
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June 16, 2024 - Milton, GA - Veteran Umpire Assaulted By Coach During Youth Championship Baseball Game, reported by Tyler Fingert, Fox Sports TV 5 Atlanta, June 20, 2024.
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May 29, 2024 - Upland, CA - Upland High School Faces Hazing Allegations Involving Varsity Baseball Team, Fox 11 TV, Los Angeles.
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May 15, 2024 - Virginia Beach, VA - Racism, Hate Speech, Harassment Evident On Kempsville Baseball Team, VBCPS Says, reported by Brendan Ponton, Conor Hollingsworth, WTKR - TV, Hampton Roads, VA.
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May 7, 2024 - Miamisburg, OH - Police Called To Fight Between Parents, Umpires Following Miamisburg Softball Game, reported by Kristen Spicker, Dayton Daily News.
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May 6, 20224 - Memphis, TN - Middle School Track Meet At Collierville High Marred By Racial Threats From Lacrosse Spectators, reported by Mark Giannotto, Memphis Commercial Appeal.
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March 28, 2024 - Bismarck, ND - Racial Taunting Incidents Persist at North Dakota Sporting Events, reported by Blake Nicholson, Bismarck Tribune (reprinted in the Jamestown Sun).
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March 11, 2024 - North Providence, RI - Violence Disrupts Youth Basketball Games, Promts Action Among Leaders, reported by Temi-Tope Adeleye, NBC-10 WJAR.
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March 4, 2024 - Berks, PA - Player Charged With Hitting Referee Over Foul Call In a Soccer Game in Berks, reported by Steven Henshaw, The Redding Eagle (Redding, PA).
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March 2, 2024 - North Kansas City, MO - Shooting Disrupts Basketball Game At North Kansas City High School, KQ2.com-TV2 (St. Joseph, MO). See also, At Least 2 People Injured in Shooting Outside Missouri High School As Basketball Game Ends, Police Say, WPSD-TV6 (Paducah, KY), March 3, 2024.
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February 28, 2024 - Los Angeles, CA - High School Soccer Teams Eliminated From CIF Play After Brawl At End of LA City Final, reported by Joy Benedict, KCAL-TV (Los Angeles).
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February 26, 2024 - Atlanta, GA - Cam Newton, former NFL QB, involved in fight at youth 7 on 7 tournament. See Cam Newton Atlanta Fight: Atlanta PD Releases New Details After Video Goes Viral, reported by Fox 5 TV (Atlanta), February 29, 2024.
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February 20, 2024 - Sacramento, CA - Sacramento Kings Announcer Matt Barnes Is Fired For Misconduct Towards an Official and a Student Announcer at a High School Basketball Game. See NBC Sports California Parts Ways With Sacramento Kings Announcer Matt Barnes, reported by Richard Ramos, CBS-13 TV Sacramento. See also, Watch: Former NBA Player Matt Barnes Gets Into It With A High School Student At His Son's Basketball Game, reported by Ahmad Austin, Jr., Mediaite.com February 6, 2024.
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February 12, 2024 - Huntington, W.VA - YMCA Ref Physically Assaulted During Huntington Youth Hoops Tournament, Officials Say, reported by WCHS-TV.
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February 10, 2024 - Scarsdale, NY - NY High School Girls Basketball Team 'Forfeited' After Players Reportedly Called 'Black N-Words' By Crowd During Game, reported by Steve Janoski, New York Post, February 13, 2024.
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January 27, 2024 - Phillipsburg, NJ - Parents Brawl At Youth Wrestling Meet While Kids Compete In Wild Video, reported by Richard Pollina, New York Post, February 2, 2024.
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January 10, 2024 - Minneapolis, MN - A huge brawl breaks out after a Minneapolis middle school game one night after a fight at a high school game. See Large Fights Reported At Minneapolis School Basketball Games Two Nights In a Row, reported by BringMeTheNews (Minnesota), January 11, 2024.
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January 9, 2024 - Parsippany, NJ - RHONJ Star Joe Gorga Ejected From North Jersey Wrestling Match After Confronting Wrestling Referee, reported by Lucas Frau, Northjersey.com.
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January 9, 2024 - Minneapolis, MN - Police: Girls Basketball Game At Minneapolis North HS Suspended After Opposing Players Fight, reported by Paul Walsh, Minneapolis Star Tribune, January 10, 2024..
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January 5, 2024 - Santa Ana, CA - Low Moment in Sportsmanship in Southern California. J. Serra Coach Keith Wilkinson Runs Onto Court and Throws His Shoes Down In Fit of Anger at Prep Basketball Game. See Mater Dei Boys' Basketball Defeats J. Serra In Physical Game Marred By Coach's Ejection, reported by Dan Albano, Orange County Register.
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January 4, 2024 - Yonkers, NY - Antisemitism Hits NY High School Basketball Game. See NY Girls' HS Basketball Game Canceled After Antisemitic Slurs Hurled At Players, reported by Deirdre Bardolf, New York Post, January 6, 2024. The Coach Was Swiftly Fired. See Yonkers High School Boots Girls' Basketball Coach, Player After Antisemitic Slurs During Game, reported by Steve Janoski, New York Post, January 7, 2024.
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December 19, 2023 - Beloit, WI - High-School Basketball Game Postponed After Referee Confrontation, Alleged Racism From Attendees, reported by JR Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, December 21, 2023.
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December 11, 2023 - Willis, TX - High Schooler Benched In Basketball Game Attacks Coach In Parking Lot, Texas Cops Say, reported by Mike Stunson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
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December 1, 2023 - Fentress County, TN - Fight Breaks Out At High School Football Semifinals In Fentress County on Friday, Leading To Players Being Ejected, reported by Chrissa Loukas, WBIR.com TV10.
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December 1, 2023 - Tempe, AZ - The most unsportsmanlike game of the year: Arizona State football championship game features 19 ejections. The local paper's buries the true lede and focuses on the failed two-point try at the end of the game. See Controversial Failed 2-Point Try Lifts Higley Over Desert Edge In 5A Title Game, reported by Zach Alvira, East Valley Tribune (Tempe), December 2, 2023. How'd the story look to anybody outside of Arizona? The USA Today High School Sports site's headline is, Arizona State Championship Features 19 Ejections, Near 30-Point-Comeback, and Controversial Call, reported by Logan Newman, USA Today High School Sports, December 2, 2023.
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November 19, 2023 - Concord, CA - Police: DA To Decide If Parent Who Went After Bay Area Youth Basketball Player Will Be Charged, reported by J.R. Stone, ABC-7 News (San Francisco), November 21, 2023.
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November 18, 2023 - Stewiacke, Nova Scotia - Coach in Nova Scotia Accused of Assaulting Referee During Minor League Hockey Game, reported by The Sports Network, CA. This alleged attack is even more unseemly when one realizes that this Canadian "minor" league game involved ten-year olds - in the States, we'd call it a youth league.
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November 6, 2023 - Tampa, FL - Video: Jesuit High School Assistant Football Coach Fired After Being Caught On Camera Punching Player, reported by Fox 13 TV, Tampa Bay.
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October 30, 2023 - Oxnard, CA - Brawl Breaks Out After California High School Football Game, reported by Tarek Fattal, SB Live Sports, reprinted in SI,com.
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October 25, 2023 - Riviera Beach, FL - High School Football Fight Between Inlet Grove, Clewiston Under Investigation, reported by Chris Gilmore, WPTV (West Palm Beach, FL).
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October 21, 2023 - Irvine, CA - SoCal Soccer Team Kicked Out of League For Brawl At End of Irvine Game, reported by Jonathan Lloyd, NBCTV-Los Angeles, October 25, 2023.
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October 21, 2023 - Corona, CA - H.S. Basketball Ref Punches Coach After Verbal Altercation ... Arrested, reported by TMZ, October 27, 2023. Note: This contest appears to be a rec-league contest as opposed to an in-season contest run under a high school league or governing body. That will bring little solace to the coach who was punched, but it does indicate some possibility that the referee, a gentleman named Brandon Knapper, is not going to be working sanctioned high school games.
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October 20, 2023 - Vallejo, CA - Friday Night Fights: Vallejo Football Game Called, reported by Thomas Gase, Vallejo Times-Herald.
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October 13, 2023 - St. Louis, MO - St. Louis Youth Football Coach Says He Was Shot By Parent Over Son's Playing Time, reported by Kim Bell, St. Louis Post Dispatch.
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October 12, 2023 - Bangor, MI - HS Soccer Referee Attacked In Michigan. See MHSAA Investigates Incident At Bangor vs. Bloomingdale Soccer Game, reported by Samantha May, WWMT - Channel 3 (Michigan).
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October 5, 2023 - Los Angeles, CA - Narbonne Rallies For Win Over Banning In Game That Ends With A Fight, reported by Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times. This Narbonne vs. Banning football game had it all. Trash talk between the two coaching staffs right in front of the players. Visiting Narbonne irritating the Banning team by showing up in their home jerseys. A tight game that went down to the wire. And it all ends with a player celebrating the Narbonne win by carrying a Narbonne flag suddenly being chased around the field as all hell broke loose.
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October 3, 2023 - San Jose, CA - Gunshots in The Grandstands: Why Violence At High School Football Games Is Spiking and What Can Be Done, reported by Jason Mastrodonato, San Jose Mercury News, Page A-1.
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September 29, 2023 - Monroe, NC - Fight Near Stadium Forces Monroe - Forest Hills Game To End Early, Officials Say, reported by Matthew Ablon, WCNC TV (Charlotte, NC).
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September 29, 2023 - Hattiesburg, MS - Hattiesburg, George County High School Football Fight Brings Punishment From MHSAA, reported by Sam Sklar, October 4, 2023.
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September 15, 2023 - Blountstown, FLA - High School Football Player Slams Opponent's Head off Field, Hits Him With Helmet, reported by Stephen Douglas, The Big Lead.
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September 14, 2023 - Birmingham, AL - High School Band Director Tasered and Arrested After Refusing To Stop Performance, Police Say, reported by Sumner Harrell, WBMA, republished on KATV (Arkansas), September 15, 2023. Somebody committed a bad act, here. However, it's not clear whether it's the band director obstructing the police or whether the police tased a person who didn't appear to pose a threat to anybody or anything.
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August 18, 2023 - Savannah, GA - Tiktok Challenge Shuts Down Game. See Benedictine vs. Jenkins Game Canceled After Multiple Crowd Disruptions, reported by Andy Cole and Wyman Bailey, WJCL TV 22.
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August 18, 2023 - Buford, GA - High School Football: Brawl Breaks Out As Buford Shuts Out St. Frances Academy, reported by Andy Buhler, SB Live content in The Georgia Sun, August 19, 2023.
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June 8, 2023 - Taunton, MA - Taunton Little League Umpires Won't Return For Playoffs After Being Threatened, reported by Mike Sullivan, WBZ TV (CBS) Boston.
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June 3, 2023 - Colorado Springs, CO - Disagreement Over a Soccer Game Leads To Brawl, Stabbing in Colorado Springs, reported by Aleah Burggraff and Lindsey Grewe, KKTV, June 5, 2023.
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June 2, 2023 - Budapest - Man Arrested After Referee Anthony Taylor Attacked by Roma Fans At Airport, reported by Simon Collings, London Evening--Standard
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May 31, 2023 - Germany - German Police Say Teen Injured in Post-Match Brawl with French Team Has Died, AP Wire Service.
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May 14, 2023 - Alabama - Youth Baseball Coach Loses His Mind, Tackles Umpire In Completely Unhinged Scene, reported by Jacob Elsey, Brobible.
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May 8, 2023 - Oklahoma - Watch: Handshake Line Turns Violent Between Oklahoma Baseball Teams, reported by Tim Weaver, USA Today High School Sports, May 9, 2023.
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May 6, 2023 - Johnson City, TN - Benches Clear After Altercation at Unicoi, Elizabethton District 1-3A Playoff Game, reported by Faith Little and Nick Dugan, WJHL TV11, May 7, 2023.
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May 3, 2023 - Woonsocket, RI - Father Accused of Assaulting 3 At Woonsocket Baseball Field After Son Is Benched, WJAR - TV 10 (Cranston, RI), May 23, 2023.
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April 29, 2023 - Manheim, PA - Fight Between Coach, Referee During Basketball Game At Spooky Nook Under Police Investigation, reported by Nebiy Esayas, Penn Live, May 3, 2023, See Also, Police Are Investigating After Video Of Fight Between Coach, Ref at Spooky Nook Sports Goes Viral, reported by Keith Schweigert, Fox 43 TV (Lancaster County, PA), May 3, 2023.
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April 26, 2023 - Lakewood, CA - Mayfair, Norwalk Impose Punishment For Postgame Baseball Fight, reported by Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, April 28, 2023.
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April 19, 2023 - Columbus, OH - Assault Charges Filed Against Man Accused In Umpire Attack At Columbus Softball Game, reported by Eric Halperin, NBC4 - Columbus, April 25, 2023.
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April 19, 2023 - Oak Park, IL - Downright Ugliness as Youth Wrestler Fakes Handshake, Then Sucker Punches Opponent, reported by Charlie De Biase, Jr., Staten Island Live.
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April 18, 2023 - Kissimmee, FL - Video Captures Parent Sucker-Punching Umpire At Florida Baseball Game, Deputies Say, reported by Samantha Dunne, Local 10 - TV (Pembroke Park, FL), May 4, 2023; and See Florida Dad Slugs 63-Year-Old Umpire At High School Game In Shocking Video, reported by Selim Algar, New York Post, May 4, 2023.
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April 8, 2023 - Sandwich, IL - Illinois Middle School Wrestler Sucker-Punched By Opponent After Loss In Viral Video, reported by Dana Rebik, WGN TV 9 (Chicago, IL), April 19, 2023.
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March 3, 2023 - Canada - Alleged Assault of Adult Hockey Referee Under Investigation, Global News.
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March 2, 2023 - San Francisco, CA - Brawl Forces End of NorCal High School Basketball Playoff Game, reported by Jason Mastrodonato, San Jose Mercury News; and Look: Brawl Ends Inderkum At Riordan Northern California D1 Boys Basketball Regional Quarterfinal, reported by Mitch Stephens, SB Live.
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February 25, 2023 - Tulsa, OK - Fight At Oklahoma High School Basketball Playoff Game Caught On Camera, reported by Taylor Mitchell, KFOR TV 4 (Oklahoma City), February 27, 2023.
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February 24, 2023 - Medford, OR - Basketball Brawl In Oregon. See North Finale Ends In No Contest, reported by Kris Henry, Rogue Valley Tribune, February 25, 2023.
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February 22, 2023 - Richland, VA - Officials To Investigate Incident Between Richlands Girls Coach and Spectator, Bluefield (WV) Daily Telegraph, February 25, 2023.
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February 16, 2023 - Camden, NJ - Camden-Eastside Boys' Basketball Game Called Off After An On-Court Altercation, reported by Isabella DiAmore, Philadelphia, Inquirer. This brawl led to the two schools being barred from the New Jersey State Playoffs; it also ended the high school career of DJ Wagner, one of the nation's top recruits. See 2 New Jersey High Schools Disqualified From State Tournaments After Fight In Boys Basketball Game, reported by Ryan Morik, Fox News, February 17, 2023.
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February 15, 2023 - Miami, FL - Antisemitic Taunts May Have Fueled Miami Brawl Between Jewish and Catholic High School Athletes, reported by Andrew Lapin, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, February 16, 2023.
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February 11, 2023 - Itta Bena, MS - MVSU Cheerleader Gets Ejected For Storming Onto The Court To Confront A Player, reported by Larry Leo, tigerdropping.com (LSU website in Baton Rouge, LA).
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February 7, 2023 - Englewood, NJ - White Players Accused of Yelling Racial Slurs At Black Players Before All-Out Brawl At New Jersey High School Basketball Game, reported by Nick Caloway, CBS News (New York), February 10, 2023.
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February 7, 2023 - Nashua, NH - 10 Students Charged In Connection With Fight Following NH High School Basketball Game, reported by Marc Fortier, NBC Channel 10, Boston, MA, March 8, 2023.
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February 4, 2023 - Fort Collins, CO - CU Students Chanting "Russia" at Ukranian Player Max Shulga Another Embarrassment, reported by Rich Kurtzman, MileHighSports.com.
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February 2, 2023 - South Bend, IN - School Officials Plan To Resume South Bend Washington-Riley Game Halted By Fan Brawl, reported by Justin Frommer, South Bend Tribune, February 3, 2023.
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February 2, 2023 - Jamestown, ND - Jamestown Students Disciplined For Racist Taunts at Bismarck Basketball Players, reported by David Velasquez, The Bismark Tribune.
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January 31, 2023 - Ypsilanti, MI - Ypsilanti JV Basketball Player Attacked By Spectator During Game, reported by Brett Kast and David Kalman, WXYZ TV (Detroit), February 1, 2023.
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January 31, 2023 - Alburgh, VT - Vermont Man Dies After Fight Breaks Out At Middle School Basketball Game, NBC 5 (Burlington, VT), February 1, 2023.
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January 27, 2023 - Los Angeles, CA - Another famous parent loses control at an athletic contest. See Ex-Laker Robert Horry Escorted By Police From Youth Basketball Game, reported by Rudy Chinchilla, NBC-4, Los Angeles.
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January 24, 2023 - Corona, CA - Santiago-Centennial Girls Basketball Game Suspended, Declared a No-Contest, reported by Eric-Paul Johnson, Riverside Press-Enterprise, January 27, 2023; See Also California High School Girls Basketball Game Suspended Late In Fourth Quarter After Brawl, msn.com, January 26, 2023. One spectator lost control in a most troubling way during this game. See Man Punched Several Girls Basketball Players During Game, Brandished A Gun Police Say, reported by Hailey Branson, Los Angeles Times, February 4, 2023.
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January 23, 2023 - Dalhart, TX - Fans Accused of Making Monkey Noises, using N-Word During High School Basketball Game, reported by Jamie Burch, ABC 7 News (Amarillo, TX).
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January 21, 2023 - Portsmouth, VA - Coaches Fired After 22-Year-Old Assistant Girls Basketball Coach Impersonates 13-Year-Old JV Player, reported by Craig Loper, WAVY-TV (Norfolk, CA), January 30, 2023.
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January 14, 2023 - Orange City, FL - University-Mainland Girls Basketball Game Suspended, Ruled Double Forfeit After Skirmish, reported by Chris Vinel, The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
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January 13, 2023 - Los Angeles, CA - Discipline Handed Down To Burbank Boys' JV Soccer For Profane Banner, reported by Luca Evans, Los Angeles Times, February 1, 2023. The sign at issue said, "F___ Burroughs." Burbank unfurled the sign after beating Burroughs 4-1
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January 13, 2023 - Eunice, LA - KPLC Looking Into Fight Between Washington-Marion, Eunice At Basketball Game, KPLC - TV7, Lake Charles, LA, January 14, 2023.
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January 10, 2023 - Georgetown, MI - Students Suspended As Result of Racist Taunts At Basketball Game, Jenison Superintendent Says, reported by Melissa Frick, MLive.
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January 6, 2023 - Honolulu, HI - 2 Adults Arrested For Assaulting Students In Stands At High School Basketball Game, Hawaii News Now, January 10, 2023.
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December 17, 2022 - Australia - Melbourne Soccer Match Abandoned After Goalkeeper Attacked, AP Wire Service Story on ABC News; see also Police Have Launched Investigation Into Australian Football's Darkest Day, reported by Tyson Otto, News.com.Au.
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December 16, 2022 - Orlando, FL - Youth Football League Launches Probe After Man Allegedly Shouts Racial Slurs At Opposing Team, reported by Paulina Dedaj, Fox News.
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December 7, 2022 - Chicago, IL - Fight Mars First Game At Curie's Newly Renovated Gym, reported by Michael O'Brien, Chicago Sun Times.
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December 2, 2022 - Is there a hidden culture of domination and subjugation in our high schools? Well, that would explain the multiple "slave auctions" that we saw in the 2022 high school football season. See Student 'Slave Auctions' Shine Light on Hidden Culture of Domination, Subjugation in US Schools, Barbara Harris Combss, Recordnet.com (Stockton, CA).
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November 18, 2022 - San Antonio, TX - San Antonio High School Basketball Player Faces Racist Taunts During Marble Falls Game, reported by Michael Karlis, San Antonio Current, November 21, 2022.
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November 11, 2022 - Windsor, CA - Bay Area High School Football Team Ends Blowout Loss With Wild Cheap Shot, reported by Gabe Fernandez, sfgate.com, November 14, 2022.
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November 10, 2022 - Talladega, AL - Talladega College Volleyball Team Receives 'Racially Motivated Picture', SSAC Responds, reported by Caleb Turrentine, ABC News, Birmingham, AL.
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November 5 2022 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Local School Responds After Coaches, Fans Go After Refs During Soccer Match, reported by Melissa Reid, Fox 8, Cleveland (Ohio), November 7, 2022.
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November 2, 2022 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore High School Football Fight Leads To Teams' Suspension From State Playoffs, reported by Chantz Martin, FoxNews.com.
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October 29, 2022 - Upper Marlboro, MD - Bronny James, Sierra Canyon Rushed Off Court After Gun Scare During Game, reported by Joseph Zucker, Bleacher Report, October 31, 2022.
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October 21, 2022 - St. Paul, MN - Fight Leads To Playoff Ban For 2 St. Paul High School Football Teams, BringMeTheNews.com (Edina, MN).
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October 21, 2022 - Dothan, AL - Viral Video Shows High School Head Football Coach Pushing Assistant Down, reported by Michael Rinker and Robert Smith, Fox 8 TV, Greensboro, NC, Oct. 22, 2022.
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October 21, 2022 - Monroe, LA - Nine coaches suspended, arrest warrants issued for three of them after high school football brawl. See Franklin Parish Sheriff Issues Warrants To Three Carroll Football Coaches, reported by Josh Harvison, Brendon Fairbairn, and Aaron Dietrich, KNOE TV 8.
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October 8, 2022 - Winston-Salem, NC - Person Hit In The Head With Sledgehammer Prop During Massive Fight At Youth Football Game At Glenn High School, reported by Brayden Stamps, Fox 8 TV, Greensboro, NC.
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October 7, 2022 - Whitmer, Ohio - Three Shot Outside Whitmer High School During Football Game, The Toledo Blade, October 8, 2022.
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October 6, 2022 - Cheating Can Occur In Any Cmpetitive Venture! See It's Like The Godfather: Irish Dancing World Hit By Cheating Allegations, reported by Rory Carroll, The Guardian (US Edition). See also Miss USA Rocked By Favoritism, Cheating Claims As Contestants Storm Off State, reported by Mark Gray, Wonderwall, October 7, 2022.
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October 3, 2022 - Hogansville, GA - 2 Arrested After Fight Breaks Out At Youth Football Game In Hogansville, Fox 5 Atlanta, October 5, 2022.
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October 1, 2022 - Gilbert, AZ - Video Shows Parents, Coaches Brawl At Youth Football Game In Gilbert, reported by Michael Doudna, TV 12 (Phoenix), October 3, 2022.
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October 1, 2022 - Indonesia - Indonesian Soccer Match Stampede Leaves 125 Dead, Associated Press report on ESPN.com, October 2, 2022.
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September 30, 2022 - Yuba City, CA - There's trouble in Yuba City: Usually Schools Wait For The Game To Start Before They Commit Bad Acts, But River Valley High School Just Couldn't Wait to Show Their True Colors. See High School Football Team Forfeits Game After Video Surfaces Of Players Acting Out "Slave Auction." CBS 13 TV (Sacramento, CA).
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September 25, 2022 - Malden, MA - Pop Warner Coach In Massachusetts Arrested After Assaulting Referee With Football, Police Say, reported by John Atwater, WCVB TV (Boston), September 26, 2022.
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September 24, 2022 - Chicago, IL - Kenwood vs. Morgan Park High School Football Game Ends With 18-20 Players Ejected After Post-Game Fight, reported by Michael O'Brien, Chicago Sun Times. The headline understates the ugliness of this game, which was marred by incidents throughout.
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September 23, 2022 - La Verne, CA - Ugly postgame fight after Bishop Amat vs. Damien football game leads to coach suspension. See Bishop Amat Football and Richie Munoz Too Much for Damien (During Postgame, Both Teams Were Involved In Pushing and Shoving), reported by Fred Robledo, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, September 23, 2022; see also Bishop Amat Football Playing Without Head Coach, Top RB One Week After Post-Game Altercation With Damien, reported by Fred Robledo, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, September 30, 2022.
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September 20, 2022 - Sutter Creek, CA - Prep Football: Amador Suspends Season After Discovery of Players' 'Disturbing' Group Chat, reported by Joe Davidson, Sacramento Bee, September 20, 2022. UPDATE: Amador's season was canceled on September 27, 2022. See Amador High School Varsity Football Out for Rest of Season After 'Highly Inappropriate Group Chat Thread,' KCRA TV 3 (Sacramento).
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September 19, 2022 - Montgomery County, MD - Man Stabbed In Fight Involving 30 People At Maryland Soccer Game, reported by Brian Farrell, dcnewsnow.com.
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September 17, 2022 - Montgomery County, MD - Football Operations Temporarily Suspended At Gaithersburg, Northwest High School After Large Fight During Game, reported by Chioma-Emilia Ahaghotu, WUSA 9 (Washington, DC). Click here for coverage and video of the fight.
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September 16, 2022 - Laurens County, GA - A group of high school students known as the 'Rowdy Raiders' confused racism with cleverness (or maybe they just meant to be racist). The group went to a high school football games with shirts that spelled out the "N" word. And, the boys were quite proud of themselves as they posed for a photo, which is now on-line, meaning that for the rest of their lives these rowdy boys will always be one click away from future employers, prospective friends, and - one day - even their own children seeing them in their rowdy, racist glory. See Laurens County Neighbors Want Action From School After Students Take Offensive Photo At Football Game, reported by Kamilah Williams, WMAZ TV (Macon, GA), September 19, 2022.
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September 8, 2022 - Fort Worth, TX - Players and Fans Duke It Out At HS Football Game. See Fight Breaks Out On Field Between Fort Worth, Dallas High School Football Teams, reported by Paul Wedding, WFAA TV (Dallas), September 15, 2022. Yes, like so many things, this fight was captured on video.
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September 2, 2022 - Katy, TX - Fans Jeer Volleyball Players With Monkey Noises. See Mother Blasts Texas School For Allowing Students to Make Monkey Noises At Black Athletes, reported by Angel Saunders, Revolt TV, September 7, 2022; See Also Katy ISD Students Heard Making Monkey Sounds To Other Students During Volleyball Game: Video, reported by Gabby Hart, Fox 26 TV, Houston, September 7, 2022.
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August 30, 2022 - East Peoria, IL - Sometimes the problems in the community spill over to the game. See Video Surfaces of Brawl At East Peoria High School Football Game, reported by Jon Schoenheider, Channel 25 News.
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August 25, 2022 - Vicksburg, MS - Prominent High School Coach Fights Fan At HS Football Game. See Watch: Jimbo Nowell Gets Into A Fight At A Game, reported by Keith Phillips, Vicksburg News; see also High School Football Coach Bloodied In Brawl In Stands In Mississippi, reported by Jenna Lemoncelli, New York Post, August 26, 2022.
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August 12, 2022 - Middletown, PA - Football Hazing Hits Middletown. See Middletown Board Gets An Earful Over Response To Accusations of Hazing, reported by Ivey DeJesus, Pennlive.com, and Scott Acri Resigns As Middletown Football Coach; District Plans To Release Hazing Investigation Info, reported by Brian Linder, Pennlive.com.
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August 13, 2022 - Lancaster, TX - Footage Allegedly Shows Former NFL CB Aqib Talib's Brother Involved In Deadly Shooting At Youth Football Game, reported by Darrelle Lincoln, totalprosports.com, August 14, 2022; see also, Man Accused of Fatally Shooting Lancaster Coach Surrenders Monday, NBC 5 Dallas/Fort Worth, August 15, 2022..
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August 1, 2022 - Argentina - A Soccer Player Was Arrested On The Field After Sucker-Punching a Woman Ref Over Minor Foul Call, MSN.com.
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July 31, 2022 - Oakland, CA - 3 Shot During Youth Football Game At Oakland Tech, NBCBayArea.com; See also 3 Injured In Shooting During 'Pee Wee Football Game' at Oakland Tech High School, reported by Amy Graff, SFGate.com, August 1, 2022. Note: The shooting happened behind the bleachers, and appears to have had nothing to do with the game.
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July 25, 2022 - Oxnard, CA - Port Hueneme Man Dies From Injuries Suffered In Fight At Adult Soccer Game In Oxnard, reported by Jeremy Childs, Ventura County Star. See Also, Soccer Player Dies after Being Injured In On-Field Brawl During Game, CBS News, July 26, 2022.
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July 16, 2022 - Odessa, TX - Fan Hits Player With Metal Chair During Insane Indoor Football Brawl, reported by David Scott, New York Post, July 18, 2022.
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July 9, 2022 - Houston, TX - Youth Baseball Coach Fired After Misconduct In Post-Game Handshake Line. See Youth Baseball Coach Removed After Rough Encounter With Opposing Players After Loss, reported by Xavier Walton, KHOU-11 TV, July 11, 2022. Things got worse for Coach Kenneth Wendt. He wasn't just removed from coaching. He's now facing discipline from his employer. See Harris County Pct. 5 Sergeant Relieved of Duty Pending Investigation Into Youth Baseball Incident, reported by Chloe Alexander, KHOU-11 TV, July 13, 2022.
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June 22, 2022 - Cecil Township, PA - Hockey Player Remorseful After Hitting Referee In the Face With a Hockey Stick, reported by Sheldon Ingram, WTAE - TV, Pittsburgh, PA., June 24, 2022.
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June 16, 2022 - San Salvador, El Salvador - Salvadoran players and spectators beat an official to death. See Watch Referee Jose Arnoldo Amaya Dead After Being Attacked By Players and Fans of El Salvador, Video Viral, reported by Ranjit Panigrahy, The Sports Grail.
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June 4, 2022 - Branchburg, NJ - N.J. Youth Baseball Umpire Violently Attacked By Coach, Needed Surgery For Broken Jaw, reported by Matthew Stanmyre, NJ.com, June 14, 2022. The attack came three months after Stanmyre wrote a lengthy report on poor sportsmanship at New Jersey athletic contests. See It's Never Been Uglier on N.J. Sports Fields As Bad Behavior Explodes, March 29, 2022.
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April 2022 - Council Bluffs, Iowa - See what happened when an NCAA Division I, Final Four Ref volunteered to officiate a youth AAU Tournament. See How This NCAA Ref Knows We Are Doomed As A Society, Heather Burnside reporting on a radio interview on KXNO (Des Moines, Iowa) Radio, air date May 18, 2022.
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April 12, 2022 - Denton, TX - Coach Shoves Denton Umpire During Youth Baseball Game, reorted by Fox 4, Houston, TX. Click here for youtube video.
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April 9, 2022 - Laurel, MS - 'Mother of The Year' Arrested After Allegedly Slugging Female Youth Umpire, reported by Nick Mordowanec, Newsweek, April 13, 2022.
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March 5, 2022 - Mexico - Massive Brawl At Soccer Game Leaves 26 Injured, Three Critically: "The Darkest Day For Mexican Soccer.", CBSNews.com, March 7, 2022
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February 21, 2022 - Foxboro, MA - Junior Hockey Player Gets Life Ban After Punching Ref In Face, reported by Tim Fitzsimons, NBCNews.com
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January 4, 2022 - Johnson City, TN - State Representative Jeremy Faison Apologizes After Trying To 'Pants' Referee, reported by Slater Teague, WJHL-TV. Yes. This odd attack on the official was caught on video. Click here to see.
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December 21, 2021 - Carlisle, Iowa - Carlisle High School Basketball Player Charged After Fight During Game, reported by KCCI TV (Des Moines). Technically, this was a post-game handshake line incident, not a fight during the game. Still, this was a very newsworthy and ugly incident.
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December 3, 2021 - Lincoln County, MS - Parents Banned From Games After Friday Incident, reported by Brett Campbell, Brookhaven (MS) Daily Leader, December 8, 2021. The Daily Leader reports that this incident involved an official having an on-court incident and then being hit by an object thrown from the stands.
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February 4, 2020 - Newark, NJ - Shabazz High School JV Basketball Players Attack Their Own Coach. Why? He tried to stop them from picking on another student. See: New Jersey high school basketball coach attacked by own players after trying to defend student, reported by Michael Sheridan, New York Daily News, February 7, 2020; and High school’s JV basketball players attack, beat their coach following a game, reported by Matthew Stanmyre, NJ.com, February 6, 2020.
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December 3, 2020 - Edinburg, TX - High School Referee Fred Gracia Victim of Blindside Attack by Player. Edinburg High School Player Facing Assault Charge For Knocking Over Ref; Team Removed From Texas Football Playoffs, reported ESPN.com, December 4, 2020. For local coverage, see Bittersweet: Bobcats beat Bears for 6A playoff berth, lose star defender, reported by Andrew McCulloch, McAllen Monitor, December 3, 2020. The school administration withdrew their team from the playoffs after the attack. See Edinburg High forfeits playoff spot following ugly on-field incident, reported by Andrew McCulloch, McAllen Monitor, December 4, 2020. The high school governing body then suspended the player for the remainder of the year. See Texas football player banned from state high school sports after attacking referee, reported by Tyler Calvaruso, USA Today High School Sports, December 17, 2020.
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November 27, 2020 - Apopka, FL - FHSAA Penalizes Wekiva Following Football Playoff Game Melee, reported by J.C. Carnahan, Orlando Sentinel, December 3, 2020. The coach ultimately lost his job as the school took a stand. See Wekiva Fires Football Coach Following Playoff Altercation, Joins Lyman and Tohopekaliga With Vacancies, reported by J.C. Carnahan, Orlando Sentinel, December 7, 2020
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December 1, 2019 - Phoenix, AZ - Postgame Fighting Mars Skyline's Win Over No. 1 Cesar Chavez In Final Of PUHSD Basketball Tournament, reported by Richard Obert, The Arizona Republic.
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November 5, 2019 - Norwell, MA - Martha's Vineyard Players Shove Official After Norwell Loss, reported by Matt Feld, Boston Herald, November 8, 2019.
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November 2, 2019 - Orting, WA - Orting Police Investigate Fight At Youth Football Game, reported by Aj Janavel, Fox 13 News Seattle, November 7, 2019.
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June 21, 2019 - Flint, MI - One Person Shot During Basketball Event At Carman-Ainsworth High School, NBC 25 News Flint, MI
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June 19, 2019 - Lakewood, CO - Parents Brawl Over A 13-Year-Old Umpire's Call At Youth Baseball Game. Police Say They're Disgusted, reported by Sophia Sherry and Christina Zdanowicz, cnn.com, June 20, 2019; and The Real Lesson of Idiot Parents Brawling Over 13-Year-Old Ump's Call, reported by Jeff Pearlman, KDRV.com (Medford, OR), June 21, 2019.
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June 12, 2019 - Providence, RI - R.I. League Bans La Salle Parent Who Allegedly Hit Coach, reported by Eric Rueb, Providence Journal. The title of this article Will Not Convey The Scope of the Ban to non-Rhode Islanders. The "League" referred to in the title is the Rhode Island Interscholastic League, which governs the State of Rhode Island's high school sports. This ban was a life-time ban, barring a parent from attending any game in Rhode Island for life. Witnesses say that the parent ran down from the stands and hit an opposing team's assistant lacrosse coach because the parent thought his son was the subject of an illegal hit in a game played on June 2. Criminal charges are pending also.
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June 7, 2019 - Midvale, Utah - 2 Utah High Schools Fined In Racism Sportsmanship Case, reported by Amy Donaldson, Salt Lake City Deseret News. The Utah High School Activities Association imposed these penalties after a heated January basketball game, which was marred by racial slurs, taunts, and threats from spectators. The response from school administrators was deemed inadequate by the Activities Association.
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May 31, 2029 - Murfreesboro, TN - TSSAA Severely Punishes West TN Baseball Team After Head Coach's Dirt-Kicking Tantrum, WJHL TV 11 (Johnson City, TN).
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May 22, 2019 - Venice - Female Referee Suffers Disgusting Sexist Abuse As Player, 14, Exposes Himself To Her In Italy, reported by Joe Miles, London Sun, May 29, 2019 (click here for New York Post reprint - Kid Exposes Himself To Taunt Female Referee ), See Also, Teenager In Italy Is Banned For Insulting A Female Referee, reported by Mat Davis, BBC Sport, May 30, 2019
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March 27, 2019 - Argentina - Referee Rosana Paz Has "Serious Burn' After Fan Throws Boiling Hot Water At Her, reported by Christopher Simpson, BleacherReport.com
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March 16, 2019 - Pittsburgh, PA - Coach Loses It In Youth Wrestling Tournament. See Eric Angle Charged With Assault After Lifting Youth Wrestler By His Neck, reported by Tom Ley, Deadspin.com, March 19, 2019.
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May 15, 2019 - Rocklin, CA - Video Shows Parent Trip Player During Youth Basketball Tournament In Rocklin, reported by Charmaine Nero, Fox TV Channel 40 - Sacramento.
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March 8, 2019 - Chicago, IL - Farragut-North Lawndale Game Stopped By Brawl, Both Teams Disqualified From Playoffs, reported by Michael O'Brien, Chicago Sun Times.
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March 2, 2019 - Brookfield, WI - Video: Referee Punched In The Head During Soccer Game Brawl In Brookfield, reported by Tori Bokios, CBS58 News, Milwaukee, March 6, 2019.
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February 26, 2019 - Green Bay, WI - Mike McCarthy, the former Green Bay Packers' Coach, Launches "Vulgar Tirade" Against High School Basketball Refs at His Stepson's Game. See McCarthy Incident: How Rare Is WIAA Complaint? Only 15 to 20 per Year, reported by Ben Krumholz, Fox 11 News Green Bay, February 28, 2019.
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February 17, 2019 - Cypress, TX - Softball Brawl: Coach Allegedly Attacked 60-Year-Old Grandmother in Cypress, reported by Deborah Wrigley, ABC TV-13, Houston, February 18, 2019.
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February 2, 2019 - Safford, AZ - Update: Safford PD Looking Into Brawl After High School Wrestler Appears To Attack Coach, reported by Melissa Egan, KOLD News 13, February 3, 2019.
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January 31, 2019 - Atlanta, GA - Grady High School Suspends Cheerleading Team For Bad Behavior, reported by Vanessa McCray, Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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January 28, 2019 - Wyandanch - Long Island, NY - 1 Hurt, 1 Arrested In Wild Brawl During Wyandanch High School Basketball Game, ABC - TV (New York), January 29, 2019.
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January 26, 2019 - Farmington, ME - Alleged Racial Slur Roils Maine High School. See Mt. Blue Investigating Alleged Racial Incident In Boys' Basketball Game Against Cony, reported by Drew Bonifant, Lewiston (ME) Sun Journal.
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January 19, 2019 – Fairfax, OH - Parents Charged After Fight Outside Youth Basketball Game, reported by Dan Griffin, WLWT – TV (Cincinnati) ------------------------
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November 5, 2018 - Conway, SC - Youth Football Coach Shoves 70 year-old Ref. See Why A Football Coach Was Charged After An Horry County Middle School Football Game, reported by Alex Lang, Myrtle Beach on-line.
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November 2, 2018 - North Carolina, The Charlotte Observer Details a Series of Football Incidents. See All Out Brawl Follows Rivalry Football Game In Greenville, reported by Langston Wertz, Jr.,
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October 12, 2018 - Dayton, OH - Ponitz To Forfeit Friday's Game After On-Field Altercation, reported by Marc Pendleton, Dayton Daily News, October 18, 2018.
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October 5, 2018 - Brownsville, TN - Army Vet Stops Shooter Outside High School Football Game, WFLA (Florida), October 9, 2018.
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October 4, 2018 - Charlotte, NC - Racist, Sexual Comments Shouted During High School Volleyball Game, reported by Kristin Leigh, WSOC TV 9.
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October 3, 2018 - Wise, VA - Coaches Brawl Erupts On Field At Pee Wee Football Game, NBC Nightly News, October 4, 2018.
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September 28, 2018 - Pittsburgh, PA - Plum High School Football Player Allegedly Assaulted By Coach, CBS-TV (Pittsburgh), September 29, 2018.
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September 13, 2018 - Knoxville, TN - Anderson County, Clinton Football Coaches Suspended Following Altercation After Rivalry Game, reported by Tom Kreager, Knoxville News Sentinel. You read it right. The coaches fought each other in the post-game handshake line. The losing coach thought the winners left their starters in too long.
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September 7, 2018 - Holmdel, NJ - Former NFL Player Turned High School Coach Threatens Transfer Student. See Ex-NFL Player Charlie Rogers Fired From High School Job For Threatening 11-Year-Old In Voicemail, reported by CBS Sports.
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September 6, 2018 - Penn Hills, PA - Connellsville Students Accused of Yelling Racial Slurs During Game Against Penn Hills, reprted by Brenda Waters, CBS Channel 2, Pittsburgh, PA - September 12, 2018. Connellsville's opponents didn't take too kindly to Connellsville's alleged racism. Some schools didn't want to play Connellsville. Others play, but clearly there's racial tension. The high school governing body found the allegations against Connellsville to be "reasonably credible" but could not substantiate them. Connellsville has started bringing armed guards to their away games. They claim this is a routine practice for big games, but their opponents say that this is a racist assumption about their opponents. See Armed Security Escorting Pennsylvania High School's Athletes Amid Racial Slurs Allegations Against Its Soccer Team, AP report in Pennsylvania Morning Call, October 12, 2018.
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September 1, 2018 – Monroe, LA – Umpire Who Says He Was Assaulted By A Coach At Monroe Youth Softball Game Speaks Out, reported by Connor Ingalls, myarklamiss.com, September 5, 2018.
August 24, 2018 - Jacksonville, FL - Shooting At High School Football Game Leaves 1 Dead, 2 Injured, Police Say, reported by Amy Lieu, Fox News.
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August 11, 2018 - Antioch, TN - Angry father allegedly shoots coach for breaking up his son's fight at a football practice. See Police: Youth Football Coach Shot Twice At Antioch H.S., Suspect At Large, reported by Marion Kirkpatrick, WSMV-TV (Nashville, TN).
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July 31, 2018 - Durham, NC - Where the "N" Word Collides With The Law. A North Carolina football got caught on video using the "N" word. His fellow students are offended, but there are limits to schools' ability to penalize off-campus conduct. See Can Schools Punish Students For Off-Campus Racist, Sexist Rants? reported by Greg Childress, Durham (NC) Herald Sun, August 1, 2018. The football player's fellow students may have a solution: shun the offender and boycott all of his activities, including his football games. See Student’s N-word video could cause boycott of Jordan High football, lacrosse games, reported by Greg Childress, Durham (NC) Herald Sun, July 31, 2018.
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July 21, 2018 - Haw River, NC - Haw River Umpire Punched; Gaston Man Charged, Burlington (NC) Times-News, July 23, 2018. Former police officer Wayne Luckadoo of Dallas, NC, was charged with assaulting an umpire in a slow pitch adult league softball game.
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July 9, 2018 - Mountville, PA - Sterback, Donald J. - One Count of Harassment Section 2709 A4. West Hempfield (PA) Township Police Department Arrest Reports.
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July 9, 2018 - Evansville, IN - Youth Baseball coach Charged With Battery After Altercation With Umpire, reported by Kyle Sokeland, Evansville Courier and Press. The headline makes it sound like two people engaged in an "altercation." Not so. This was an attack on an umpire - plain and simple. Worse, this wasn't even a game. It was a charity game called early because of time. Gregory Van Bibber, an assistant coach, allegedly taunted the umpire throughout the event, and then allegedly attacked the official when the game was called. This was not an altercation. It was an attack on an umpire.
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July 8, 2018 - Emerson, GA - Players, referees involved in ugly on-court brawl at AAU tournament, reported by Myron Medcalf, ESPN.com, July 8, 2018
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June 26, 2018 - Kingman, AZ - Little League Parent Banned From Southside Park After Bumping Umpire, KD Miner (Kingman).
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June 24, 2018 - Atlanta, GA - At least 40 people involved in brawl at basketball tournament, parents say, reported by Tom Jones, WSB-TV 2 Atlanta, June 29, 2018
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June 16, 2018 - Kingsport, TN - Parents Brawl During Youth Sports Tournament at Brickyard Park, reported by Matthew Lane, Kingsport Times-News, June 19, 2018.
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June 8, 2018 - Chicago, IL - Sexual Abuse Crisis Hits Chicago Public Schools - And It Goes Well Beyond Abusive Coaches. See Betrayed: Chicago Public Schools Fail To Protect Students From Sexual Abuse, Leaving Lasting Damage, reported by David Jackson, Jennifer Smith Richards, Gary Marx, and Juan Perez, Jr., Chicago Tribune. System-wide failures, including weak background check procedures, and weak child abuse reporting procedures played a major role in this crisis.
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May 23, 2018 - Washington, D.C. - U.S. sports leaders face angry questions at congressional hearing, reported by David Wharton, :Los Angeles Times.
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May 20, 2018 - North London - Players, Coaches and Fans Beat Official At End of Turkish Community Football Federation Match. See Worst Assault On British Soil - Referee Attacked By Mob As Violence Mars Sunday League, reported by Joshua Nevett, London Daily Star, May 24, 2018.
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May 17, 2018 - Dallas, TX - 25-Year Old Man Poses As HS Student To Regain Basketball Glory. See How could a 25-year-old athlete enroll as a high school freshman in Dallas ISD?, reported by Julieta Chiquillo and Sara Coello, Dallas Morning News.
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May 6, 2018 - Indianapolis, IN - Caught on camera: Coach and parent fight at youth baseball game in Indianapolis, reported by Lindsey Eaton, Fox TV 59, May 7, 2018.
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May 2, 2018 - Dalton, GA - No suspensions for Bruins after brawl with LaGrange, reported by Jacob Hoag, Dalton (GA) Daily Citizen-News. Sometimes you get away with one - no suspensions appear to have been issued in a post-game handshake baseball fight.
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May 1, 2018 - Haddonfield, NJ - Haddonfield School Cancels Boys Lacrosse Season After Racial Slur, reported by Tom Davis, Haddonfield Patch. See Also, Beyond boys' lacrosse, on Haddonfield sports teams, racial slurs 'just happened all the time,' parents say, reported by Melanie Burney and Phil Anastasia, Philadelphia Inquirer, May 18, 2018
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April 9, 2018 - Bergen County, NJ - Bergen Catholic wrestling program accused of sexual and verbal abuse in lawsuit, reported by Keidy Ortiz and Abbott Koloff, Northjersey.com. The coaches are fighting back and a lot of players are backing their denials. What's it all mean? Time will tell. See 'It's all a big lie': Bergen Catholic wrestlers defend coach amid bombshell accusations, reported by Patrick Lanni, NJ.com
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April 7, 2018 - Middleburg, FL - Middleburg youth football coach charged in post-game brawl, reported by Destiny McKeiver, Channel 4 TV, Jacksonville.
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March 26, 2018 - Sharpsburg, GA - Intentional or not? You make the call. Did a high school pitcher intentionally bean an unsuspecting batter who called time and stepped out of the box? See High school baseball player gets hit by the pitch after stepping out of the box, reported by Andrew Joseph, USA Today.
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March 21, 2018 - Albuquerque, NM - Racially Motivated Brawl and a Parent Allegedly Groping a 15-Year Old Girl During the Brawl. Low moment for the Duke City Soccer League. See Girl Reportedly Choked By Parent In Soccer Match Fight, reported by Russell Contreras, KOB Channel Four (Albuquerque), March 22, 2018.
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March 6, 2018 - Buffalo, NY - Anti-violence group member hurt in high school basketball fight. See Buffalo Peacemaker Injured During Fight At High School Basketball Game, reported by Aaron Besecker and Miguel Rodriguez, The Buffalo News, March 7, 2018.
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February 19, 2018 - Charlotte, NC - 4th Grade Basketball Coach Accused of Attacking Referees, reported by Alex Shabad, WCNC TV.
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February 16, 2018 - Greenville, SC - Even bowling has been hit by an abusive coach. See Deputies: Youth Bowling Coach Arrested For Criminal Sexual Conduct With a Minor, reported by Savannah Sondov, WHNS - Fox Carolina, Greenville.
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February 15, 2018 - South Brunswick, NJ - Where's Waldo? Volunteer youth soccer coach Waldo Milla-Guerra joins the rather lengthy list of youth coaches allegedly involved in sexual misconduct. See Volunteer Soccer Coach Arrested On Child Porn Charges, reported by Jeff Goldman, NJ.com.
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February 15, 2018 - Arvada, CO - Ralston Valley Suspended 4 Girls Basketball Starters For Cyberbullying; Todd Casebier Takes Castle View Football Job, reported by Kyle Newman, Denver Post.
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February 14, 2018 - Marblehead, MA - Youth Hockey Coach Christopher Prew Now Accused of Sexually Assaulting Eight Boys, reported by Scott J. Croteau, Masslive.com.
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February 13, 2018 - Liverpool, England - England's version of the Larry Nasser/USA Gymnastics' scandal. Barry Bennell, a former English youth soccer coach, convicted of sexually abusing multiple players. See Paradise For Young Boys: Perv Ex-Soccer Coach Guilty on 36 Charges, Associated Press report in New York Post.
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February 13, 2018 - Columbus, Ohio - Post-game handshake spitting after college tennis match. See Tennis Match Ends In Disgusting Spitting Incident, New York Post.
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February 9, 2018 - Scottsdale, AZ - Higley-Saguaro state playoff basketball game ends when fight breaks out, reported by Richard Obert, Arizona Republic, February 10, 2018.
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February 8, 2018 - Pittsburgh, PA - Cops Called After Wild Brawl During High School Basketball Game In Pittsburgh, reported by Pete Blackburn, CBS Sports. The police had to use pepper spray to break up this 60 person riot.
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February 2, 2018 - Cincinnati, Ohio - Elder Students Aim Racial Taunts at 2 St. Xavier Basketball Players, reported by Chris Mayhew, Cininnati Enquirer, February 6, 2018. The alleged taunt from the Elder High School students was a taunt about an Asian player's eyes combined with another chant of "P.F. Chang." The Elder principal issued an apology and convened a student assembly to reinforce the seriousness of this transgression.
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January 26, 2018 - Peebles, OH - Referee Speaks After Being Assaulted At Game, reported by Ken Brown, Fox-TV 19, Cincinnati, OH. A junior high school basketball player's father allegedly hit the referee twice in this attack.
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January 24, 2018 - Larry Nassar Sentenced Up to 175 Years In Prison For Decades of Sexual Abuse, reported by Eric Levinson, CNN.
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January 22, 2018 - Wichita, KS - Police Captain Allegedly Shoves 17-Year Old Female Official. See Wichita Police Captain Charged With Battery In Youth Basketball Court Incident, reported by Tim Potter, The Wichita Eagle.
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January 20, 2018 - Orlando, FL - Father accused of attacking referee during wrestling match, reported by Bob Hazen, WESH Channel 2 (Orlando, FL), January 22, 2018.
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January 4, 2018 - Raytown, MO - Fans disagreed with a high school referee’s calls. Then one punched him in the face, reported by Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, January 9, 2018.
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January 3, 2018 - Waukesha, WI - UW-Rock County basketball coach, son charged in post-game attack on referee, reported by Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, January 31, 2018.
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January 8, 2018 - What would you do if the opposing team called themselves the "Wet Dream Team" and showed up wearing uniforms that said, "Knee Grow" and "Coon"? Well Cincinnati area youth league basketball teams were put to the test when this occurred. See Team Kicked Out of League for Offensive Basketball Jerseys, reported by Chris Mayhew, Cincinnati Enquirer.
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December 26, 2017 - Murrysville, PA - Dek Hockey Referee Allegedly Punched By Player In Murrysville, Police Say, reported by Renatta Signorini, Trib Live (Pennsylvania), January 11, 2018. The player, Bradley Richard Jones, was convicted and sentenced in May, 2018. The worst part of this incident is that the referee wasn't in a location where he should have been punched by anybody. The referees sat in the penalty box during an out of control bench clearing brawl. As the teams exited the rink, Jones sucker punched the referee in the face, and then tried to hit another official.
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December 24, 2017 - Mexico - Another Soccer Referee Is Killed By A Player. Mexican Referee Dies In Hospital After Being Attacked By Player He Sent Off, Sports Illustrated, January 1, 2018.
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December 18, 2017 - Griffith, IN - UPDATE: Police say coach, others facing charges after fight at Griffith-Hammond basketball game, reported by Lauren Cross, Northwest Indiana Times, Dec. 20, 2017.
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December 1, 2017 - Meridian, ID - After Throwing Coat At Referee, Mountain View Basketball Parent Banned For One Year, reported by Michael Lycklama, Idaho Statesman, January 8, 2018.
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November 28, 2017 - Forest City, Iowa - Radio Employees Fired After Racist Comments Go Viral, WHO-TV 13 (Des Moines, Iowa), December 4, 2017.
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November 7, 2017 - Trumbull, CT - Windsor Superintendent Calls For Investigation Into Reports Of Racial Taunts During Girls Soccer Game, reported by Steven Goode, Hartford Courant, November 21, 2017. Windsor High School is alleging that St. Joseph High students racially taunted their African-American students by chanting, "Where are you from ... Africa", sung to the tune of Toto's hit song Africa.
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October 30, 2017 - Fort Worth, TX - Youth football parents attack each other and attack one of the referees. When it's all over, both teams are barred from their league. This case illustrates why there's a shortage of officials. When a parent attacks the ref, one of the newspapers has a headline that indicates that a spectator and a referee fought. Well, no. The referee got attacked. Then, another newspaper quotes a coach blaming the referees for not stopping an angry parent whose acts appear to have led to the fight. Again, no. The referees are not responsible for crowd control. A riot is not supposed to be the opportunity to turn referees into whipping boys, but sometimes poor reporting does exactly that. See Youth Football Teams' Seasons Over After Brawl, reported by Ken Molestina, CBA 11 TV (Dallas/Fort Worth), November 2, 2017; and Fights Break Out Among Parents, Refs at Youth Football
Game In Fort Worth, reported by Anna Tinsley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, November 4, 2017.
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October 24, 2017 - Paris - Teenage French footballer handed 30-year ban for punching referee, reported by Rory Mulholland, The London Telegraph (Paris Bureau).
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October 20, 2017 - Arlington, TX - Football radio announcer Mark Banton tosses out racial slur and then insults a cheerleader during the Cleburne vs. Seguin high school football game. Banton referred to Seguin players as "cougroes", combing the school nickname Cougars and the word negroe. Seguin is about one third black. Their opponent is only 3% black. Later in the broadcast, Banton suggested that a Seguin high school cheerleader needed to go on a Jenny Craig diet. One interesting note: The Fort Worth Star-Telegram quotes Banton as saying, “I am aware of the accusations and I have nothing to say about it.” This is what one would typically say when a matter is in dispute. The problem for Banton is that the Star-Telegram has embedded the offensive parts of his broadcast onto the electronic version of their story (not to mention that everybody who listened to the game heard the comments). Banton either doesn't realize that he made his comments on the air and that tape exists or he's trying to suggest that we shouldn't believe our lying ears. See Cleburne Broadcaster Ousted After Calling Arlington Seguin Players "Cougroes", reported by Ryan Osborne, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 26, 2017. Banton lasted one week after his offensive statements. See Announcer Who Called Arlington Athletes 'Cougroes' Fired from Cleburne Sportscast, reported by Marc Ramirez and Eline de Bruijn, Dallas Morning News, October 27, 2017.
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October 19, 2017 - Gray, ME - Maine High School Football Coach Duane Greaton Resigns Under Pressure After Allegedly Telling His Team To Say, "Who's Your Daddy?" To Opponent With Two Lesbian Parents. See Gray-New Gloucester Coach Resigns; Allegedly Told Players To Taunt Opponent, reported by Mike Lowe, Portland (ME) Press Herald, October 19, 2017; See also District Was Asked Not To Hire Gray-New Gloucester Football Coach Who Urged Taunt, reported by Steve Craig, Portland (ME) Press Herald, October 21, 2017; A High School Coach's Order Led To His Resignation. Here's What He Told His Players To Do, reported by Aaron Colen, The Blaze, October 20, 2017.
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October 18, 2017 - Pleasant View, UT - Utah School Investigates Video Showing Teen Girls Using Racial Slurs, CBS News. This story went national because the girls who used racial slurs tried to "cleverly" disguise what they were doing by saying, "F--k Nig--s" backward and then loading the backwards phrase into an app that plays video backwards, allowing those in the know to hear the offensive phrase while everybody else heard what appeared to be a nonsense phrase. For a local follow up, see Update: Weber High Students Who Recorded Racist Video Resign From Cheerleading Squad, reported by Benjamin Wood, Salt Lake City Tribune, October 23, 2017.
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October 7, 2017 - College Park, GA - Parents Fed Up After Brawl At Youth Football Game, reported by Audrey Washington, WSBTV (South Fulton County, CA), October 13, 2017. This fight happened after a coach taunted the losing team and the parents reacted by launching a brawl.
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September 23, 2017 - Denver, CO - Confederate Flag, Racial Slurs Spark Conflict at Weld Central v. Manual High Football Game, According to
Principal, reported by Ann Lauricello, Fox 31 TV. Citing a lack of evidence, Weld Central denies that their fans displayed a confederate flag. So far, no video evidence has been found as this ugly situation devolves into a he said/she said morass. See Racism Allegations from Manual HS Principal Prompt Rebuttal from Weld Central, reported by Kevin Massey, Dan Grossman, Katie Eastman and Jacob Rodriguez, KUSA TV9.
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September 22, 2017 - Palm Beach Gardens, FL - Dwyer High School ended their 2016 with an ugly brawl after a playoff loss. Click here for details. Think they'll aim for good sportsmanship in 2017? Think again. It may be early in 2017, but Dwyer's in end of year form, refusing to shake hands with Palm Beach Gardens High School, not after a heated contest but prior to the game. See Fla. Player Kicked Out of Captains' Meeting For Refusing To Shake Hands, reported by Wells Dusenbury, Florida Sun-Sentinel article republished in USA Today.
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September 9, 2017 - Oklahoma City, OK - “The kids can’t unsee it,” Brawl breaks out between Oklahoma basketball coach, referee, reported by Lance West, KFOR - Oklahoma News Channel 4, September 11, 2017. The headline doesn't do this one justice. The coach got upset, and hit the referee over the head with a clipboard. That's an attack on the referee. A spectator intervened. That spectator was inadvertently hit by the referee. It's not clear if the referee was simply protecting himself from an attack or whether the referee was involved in what most would call a fight that resulted in him accidentally hitting the spectator.
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September 8, 2017 - Little Rock, AR -1 Juvenile Shot After Fight Outside NLR High School Football Game, reported by Price McKeon, Arkansas Matters.
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September 7, 2017 - United Kingdom - Head's Gone: Shocking Moment Rugby Player Mark Meafua Hits Referee As He Was About To Be Carded That Saw Him Banned For Ten Years, reported by John Hutchinson, The Sun. A 19-year old junior rugby player loses it when carded and punches an 18-year old ref. The player will pay a steep price for launching his blow against the ref as he has received a ten year ban from rugby.
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September 1, 2017 - Kansas City, MO - The Park Hill School District requires all elementary and middle school students attending its football games to be accompanied by an adult in the aftermath of a number of spectator brawls. See Adult Supervision Required at High School Football Games After Park Hill School District Fight, reported by Ariel Rothfield, KSHB TV, September 8, 2017; and A Fight in The Stands at Park Hill Causes High School Football Game to End Early, reported by Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, September 1, 2017.
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August 14, 2017 - Chicago, IL - United Center Evacuated After Fights During Basketball Championship Game, reported by Liz Nagy, ABC-TV 7. Multiple large brawls break out inside and outside of United Center during summer youth basketball championship game. The crowd was capped at 10,000 for the event, but far more fans came to see the championship of the ironically titled "West Haven Community Safe Summer Basketball League." The brawls featured folks who were being kicked out, folks who couldn't get in, gang bangers, and a bunch of twelve and thirteen year-old kids who appeared to play a major role in the violence. Also see, Organizers: Kids As Young As 12 Behind United Center Basketball Brawl, reported by Stefano Esposito, Chicago Sun-Times, August 16, 2017.
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July 28, 2017 - Las Vegas, NV - LaVar Ball, famous for being the father of NBA player Lonzo Ball, demanded that a female referee who gave him a technical foul be replaced during a summer Adidas basketball tournament. Adidas actually caved in to Ball, leading to the company that supplied the referees refusing to work the tournament in the future. Adidas took negative press for caving in to what appears to be a misogynistic demand. Ball took heat too, as he launched a verbal tirade against the female official not being good enough to work a men's game. See Adidas Apologizes, says Removing Female Ref After LaVar Ball Complaint Was 'Wrong Decision', reported by Scott Gleeson, USA Today, July 31, 2017; and Referee Company Cuts Ties With Adidas After LaVar Ball Has Female Official Removed From Game, reported by Eduardo Gonzalez, Los Angeles Times, July 31, 2017.
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July 10, 2017 - Menifee, CA - Football Fight: Video Shows Menifee Tournament Turns Violent, reported by Leticia Juarez, ABC 7 News (reporting on two teams brawling in a high school summer passing league).
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June 21, 2017 - Charlottetown, Canada - P.E.I. Midget AA Player Gets 30 Days In Jail For Punching Referee, Toronto Sun, June 23, 2017. Don't let the "midget" designation fool you. Cole Trevor Crane, the puncher at issue, is 18 years old. Crane hit referee John William MacDougall as MacDougall escorted him off the ice.
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June 18, 2017 - Panama City, FL - Former Braves Catcher Johnny Estrada Arrested for Shoving Umpire, reported by Alec McQuade, WXIA TV - Atlanta, GA. Estrada allegedly shoved the umpire when he was coaching at a youth tournament in Florida.
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April 24, 2017 - Charlotte, NC - Caught On Video: Parent Storms Bench During Youth Basketball Game, Angrily Confronts Coach, reported by Langston Wertz, Jr.
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April 21, 2017 - Ridgeland, MS - Ridgeland Police Officer Allegedly Attacks A Rival Spectator at Youth Baseball Game. See Warrant Issued For Policeman Involved In Baseball Fight, reported by Sarah Fowler, The Clarion Ledger (Jackson, MS), April 27, 2017.
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April 11, 2017 - Greensburg, PA - Jail Time For Woman Who Threatened Youth Football Officials, Associated Press Report on Fox News.
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April 11, 2017 - Paradise Valley, AZ - High School Coaches 'On Notice' After Hamilton Hazing Incident, reported by Scott Bordow, Azcentral sports.
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March 29, 2017 - Death Threats To Final Four Ref. See Death Threats To A Ref - The Lunatics Are Threatening To Overtake Kentucky's Fan Base, reported by Pat Forde, yahoosports. You might ask yourself whether there was a highly controversial call that led to the death threats. Nope. You might wonder whether there was a massive foul disparity. Nope - the fouls were 19 to 18. This is just another case of classless fans and an official who has to bear the brunt of their wrath.
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March 26, 2017 - Albuquerque, NM - Coaches Brawl At Youth Basketball Tournament. See Albuquerque Youth Coaches Get Into Brawl During Championship Game, reported by Jeannie Nguyen, KRQE Channel 13, March 28, 2017; and Watch: Coaches Brawl At Youth Basketball Championship Game, CBS TV Channel 46 (Atlanta, GA) March 30, 2017.
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March 11, 2017 – Mexico - Mexican Soccer Refs Go On Strike After Repeated Threats From Players, reported by Ryan Rosenblatt of Fox Sports, New York Post, March 11, 2017. This strike caused cancellations in the Mexican Liga MX. The Liga MX took the strike seriously, issued yearlong suspensions of the players who threatened the officials and professional soccer resumed in Mexico. See After Round 10 Was Suspended By a Referee Strike, This Week's Copa MX Matches and The Weekend Games Will Go Ahead as Scheduled, Goal.com, March 13, 2017.
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March 10, 2017 - Hatfield, PA - Police Launch Investigation After School Hockey Game Ends With On-Ice Brawl, reported by Cleve Bryan, CBS Channel 3 (Philadelphia). In this hockey match, four players from the Ridley Township hockey club appear to have targeted Shawn Phillips, a player from the opposing team. Ridley's school superintendent is quoted in the article as saying that the Ridley hockey team is not affiliated with the school.
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March 7, 2017 - Cobb County, GA - Disciplinary process begins after post-match attack at Georgia State High School wrestling championships. See School Considers Discipline Following Incident At Georgia State Wrestling Tournament, Fox 5 Atlanta, GA; and click here for video.
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March 1, 2017 - Indiana/Iowa - High School Students Hurl Chants of "Trump" and "USA" at Hispanic Opponents. See 'Trump' As Anti-Latino Epithet: Ugly Incidents At High School Games, reported by Mayra Cuevas, CNN.Com.
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February 25, 2017 – Binghamton, NY – College Hockey Player Bolts Penalty Box in Wild Attack on Ref, New York Post Wire Report, February 27, 2017. Erie Community College freshman Brandon Day was arrested and charged with assault according to local media reports.
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February 21, 2017 - Missouri - The costliest punch. The Missouri State High School Activities Association, Missouri's high school sports governing body, does not have a state rule addressing players ejected for fighting, leaving it up to individual schools and districts. The schools and districts treat their actions as school discipline and won't discuss it. This has created a disconnect where a legislator wanted information after a basketball fight, and couldn't get it. Missouri State Rep. Keith Cookson, the legislator, has proosed legislation requiring an annual report from the MHSAA. Can this legislation pass? Is it written well enough to get the information that Rep. Cookson wants? Time will tell, but the punch that was thrown in a Van Buren, MO girls' basketball game may be the costliest punch of all from a sheer political perspective as the legislator may not stop with just one Bill, but may begin an ongoing review of Missouri high school sports. We will see. See Apparent Punch At Girls Basketball Game Propels Lawmaker Into Action, reported by Pat Pratt, Southeast Missourian.
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February 20, 2017 - NY - Two Lower Hudson River Valley games marred by misconduct. Parents brawl in a game between Peekskill and Tappan Zee High School while officials eject fans for verbally abusing them in New Rochelle. See Peekskill Basketball Brawl Highlights Problem Fans at Sporting Events, reported by Mike Zacchio, lohud.com.
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February 11, 2017 - Connellsville, PA - Connellsville students celebrate "hick night" with chants of "build that wall" and "send them back" to opposing schools' black players. See Some Parents Upset About Chants From Student Section During Basketball Game, reported by Say Black Players Harassed During Pa. High School Basketball Game, reported by WPXI TV 11.
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February 10, 2017 - Mesa, AZ - Glendale Basketball Player Takes High Road After Racist Taunts During Mesa Game, reported by Diego Mendoza-Moyers, Richard Obert, and Ben Moffat, The Arizona Republic, February 11, 2017.
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February 9, 2017 - Hazel Park, MI - A Michigan high school game turns into utter chaos. The Athletic Director was ejected; a student threw a bottle onto the floor; numerous parents complained to officials; one official is on film running from a group of spectators; and in the midst of it all the chaos we see something we seldom see: a referee pushing a fan. Usually, it's the other way around - and in a pretty big way as officials are constantly attacked, beaten and occasionally even killed by spectators and players. You can see the wild scene for yourself as the whole thing is caught on film. See Hazel Park and North Farmington Basketball Game Descends Into Basket-Brawl, reported by Jim Kiertzner, WXYZ-TV (Detroit), February 10, 2017.
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February 7, 2017 - Silsbee, TX - Texas School Districts Investigating In-Game Basketball Brawl, reported by Jacque Masse, USA Today High School sports, February 9, 2017.
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February 4, 2017 - Amherst, NY - Video: Will East Hockey Player Pushes On-Ice Official, reported by Miguel Rodriguez, The Buffalo News, February 5, 2017.
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January 31, 2017 - Jefferson, NJ - Racially charged chants of "ashy knees" and "build the wall" mar high school basketball game. See 'Build The Wall" Chants Cause Controversy At NJ Basketball Game, reported by Katie Kausch, patch.com.
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January 25, 2017 - Corpus Christi, TX - Rowdy spectator makes major mistake: he attacks police officers trying to calm down crowd at a high school basketball game, and gets thrown in jail. See Fight Erupts At High School Basketball Game, KIII TV.
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January 19, 2017 - Memphis, TN - This College Basketball Brawl Featured Steel Chair Shots and Fans Fighting On The Court, reported by Kristian Winfield, SBNation.com (reporting on a near riot that broke out at a Lane College vs. Lemoyne-Owen college basketball game).
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January 6, 2017 – Houston, TX – Basketball Players and Students Engage In Brawl Sparked By Taunting. See Katy, Tompkins Students Face Discipline After Basketball Brawl Goes Viral, reported by Dana Guthrie and Adam Coleman, Houston Chronicle.
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January 5, 2017 - San Luis, AZ - Brawl Breaks Out During San Luis - Gila Ridge Soccer Game, reported by Alex Cheney, KYMA TV 5, Yuma, AZ.
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January 2, 2017 - Lexington, OH - Parents, Students Brawl After Lexington Basketball Game, reported by Dave Nethers, Fox-TV Channel 8, Cleveland, OH.
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December 30, 2016 - Lexington, OH - Spectator Brawl After High School Basketball Game. See Video/Fight Breaks Out After Lexington-Wooster Game, reported by Courtney McNall, Mansfield (Ohio) News-Journal.
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December 18, 2016 - Medford, Oregon - Alleged Punch By Parent Draws Scorn, reported by Dan Jones, Medford Mail Tribune, December 20, 2016. This is a classic fight pattern in this era of overinvolved parents. Two opposing players squared off at an eighth grade basketball game. The officials broke the fight up. Then parents exited the stands, presumably to help stop the two player fight. This, of course, had the effect of creating a small degree of chaos as fans entered the court. One of the fans was a 44 year old parent and that parent allegedly hit one of the players. It is hard to convince some sports parents that they only make it worse when they enter the court .... they're not helping even though they thin, they are.
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December 12, 2016 - Warrensburg, MO - Fans at white high school turn backs and raise Trump sign when players from black school are introduced. It's the Trump racism effect coming home to sports. See Trump Sign Waved In Student Section As Predominantly Black Basketball Team Introduced, reported by Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, December 13, 2016. And, yes, this is not an isolated incident. See Schools Report Racist Incidents In Wake of Donald Trump Election, reported by Errin Hayes Whack and Jay Reeves, AP Report in Denver Post, November 11, 2016.
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November 18, 2016 - Palm Beach Gardens, FL - St. Thomas Aquinas Runs away From Dwyer, Fight Breaks Out At Game’s Conclusion, reported by Darren Collette, Miami Herald.
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November 17, 2016 - Syracuse, N.Y. Yes, there is justice: a middle aged man who got out of his car and pushed an autistic ninth grade cross country runner to the ground just pleaded guilty to misdemeanor child endangerment. The case took on racial overtones because Martin McDonald, who is a large, middle aged white man, allegedly told the police that he thought that Chase Coleman, the student, was going to mug his wife and take her purse. Now, it's not clear why McDonald would think this. Chase weighs 130 pounds, was in full cross country uniform, and had made no move to veer toward McDonald's car. He's just a black, autistic kid. McDonald played a race card here, and lost. He truly got off easy. See Attack on Autistic Teen Runner Prompts Charges of Racism by Syracuse Official, reported by Tim Knauss, Syracuse Post-Standard, October 29, 2016; and Man Who Shoved Autistic Runner Chase Coleman Pleads Guilty To Misdemeanor, reported by Tim Knauss, Syracuse Post-Standard, November 17, 2016.
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November 11, 2016 - Archer City, TX - Racist provocation under the guise of supporting one's team: See Students Chant 'Build That Wall' During Texas Volleyball Tournament, reported by Claire Cardona, Dallas Morning News, November 16, 2016. And wouldn't you know that this chant was directed toward a mostly Hispanic school.
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November 6, 2016 - Mexico - Soccer Player Being Sought In Death of Ref After Red Card, reported by John Hickey, San Jose Mercury News, Nov. 9, 2016. It's happened again. This time in Mexico. Some player who can't control himself lashed out in anger after getting a red card and killed the ref, who wasn't prepared for the punch. Remember, we've seen this before. If you don't remember, click on these links: See Police Report Details Attack By Player That Left Utah Soccer Referee In Coma, by Bob Mims, Salt Lake Tribune, May 3, 2013; and Utah Soccer Referee Ricardo Portillo Dies Week After Being Punched, by Jennifer Dobner, Salt Lake City Tribune, May 4, 2013. For a televised report, see Soccer Ref Punched Into Coma By Teen Player, ABC News, May 3, 2013. Click here for Jim Thompson of the Positive Coaching Alliance's comments on Ricardo Portillo's death. For comments from Barry Mano of the National Association of Sports Officials, see A Whistle, A Punch, and A Soccer Referee Is Dead, by Sam Borden, New York Times, May 7, 2013.
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November 5, 2016 - Willis, TX - Fight After Youth Football Game In Willis Frays Nerves, reported by ABC 13 (Houston), November 7, 2016.
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November 4, 2016 – Bellingham, WA – Fight Mars Washington State Football Playoffs. See Squalicum Advances To State After Brawl-Marred Bi-District Victory, reported by Tyler Urke, Bellingham Herald.
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November 4, 2016 - Georgia - Bench clearing football brawl holds up football playoffs. See Pace-Towers Game Stopped After Fight, Holds up GHSA Playoff Draw, reported by Todd Holcomb, Atlanta Journal-Constitution High School Sports Blog, November 5, 2016.
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October 30, 2016 - Greenfield, OHIO - Greenfield-McClain high School Cheerleaders Take Heat For "Trail of Tears" pre-game banner. This is not a good moment if you're a Native American. You have a team named the Indians, which can't make you too thrilled. Then, you have the team playing the Indians invoking the "trail of tears." You don't need to be a historian to know that anything called the "trail of tears" is probably a bad historical moment. See Ohio School Takes Action after Trail of Tears Banner Uproar, Associated Press story on Fox TV (Columbus Ohio) Channel 4, November 1, 2016. The school later apologized, but the apology was undermined when photos surfaced of a school spirit function that featured students dressed as stereotypes of African-American slaves, and Chinese and Mexican laborers. You can click here to see the photos on the Indian Country website.
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October 21, 2016 - Arlington, VA - Police Used Pepper Spray To Break Up Fight At Washington-Lee High School Football Game Against McLean, reported by Alejandra Matos, Washington Post, October 22, 2016.
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October 14, 2016 - Dallas, TX - Video: Fight Breaks Out At Midfield After Lakeview Centennial Beats Garland, Dallas Morning News; For national coverage of this incident, see Video: Fight Erupts In Postgame Handshake Line Of Texas Crosstown Face Off, reported by Cam Smith, USA Today High School Sports, October 17, 2016.
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October 13, 2016 - Wiggins, MS - Racial hazing or just plain racism? Read about the Mississippi High School Football Noose Case. See Officials Investigate Claim of Noose Around Student's Neck, reported by Jeff Amy and Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press report on ABC News, October 25, 2016; Black Student In Mississippi Had Noose Put Around His Neck, N.A.A.C.P. Official Says, reported by Christopher Mele, October 26, 2016.
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October 8, 2016 - Bethel Park, PA - Anthem Protest Met With Racial Retorts and Cries of "N" Word at Youth Football Game. See Crowd Hurls Slurs At All-Black Youth Football Team As Some Players Kneel During Anthem, Coach Says, reported by Derek Hawkins, Washington Post, October 13, 2016; and Slurs Shouted, Police Called After Players Kneel During National Anthem, PA. Coach Says, reported by Colin Deppen, Pennlive.com October 11, 2016. This is a self-fulfilling racial prophesy. A group of African-American kids take a knee during the anthem to protest racial injustice. They are met with racial taunts - leading them to quite rationally conclude that there's a whole lot more racial injustice - or at least racists - then they ever anticipated.
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October 7, 2016 - Buffalo, N.Y.. Police Suspend Play After Bench-Clearing High School Football Brawl. But, the big story from this game was Chad Kelly, the Ole Miss. QB, storming out of the stands in an attempt to stand by his brother, the quarterback for St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute. Chad failed to honor a very important sportsmanship principle: the fans must stay in the stands - when they don't, two-person fights become multiple-person fights and multiple-person fights become uncontrollable riots. See Ole Miss Quarterback Chad Kelly Races To Brother's Rescue In A High School Football Game Fight, reported by Ron Higgins, New Orleans Times-Picayune, October 8, 2016.
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September 30, 2016 - Lauderdale Lakes, FL - Fight Among Teens Leads To Stabbing During High School Football Game, Sheriff's Office Says, reported by Rebeca Piccard, South Florida Sun Sentinel.
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September 30, 2016 - Omaha, NE - Boyd Waldmann, a 52 year old coach, allegedly attacks 10-year-old player in post-game handshake line after flag football game. See Omaha Youth Football Coach Accused Of Attacking 10-Year-Old After Boy High-Fives Him 'Too Hard,' reported by Kevin Cole, Kearney Hub. Click here for Omaha television coverage.
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September 23, 2016 - Holyoke, MA - Complaints of Taunts, Racial Slurs Against Girls' Soccer Players In Amherst Prompt Investigation, reported by Mike Plaisance, Masslive.com, September 26, 2016.
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September 22, 2016 - Little Rock, AR - Ejected Player Doesn't Like Suspension, Sues Arkansas Activities Association. Arkansas has a rule under which ejected players get suspended. A lot of States have such a rule. I'm sure that a lot of students don't like being suspended, but Pulaski High School's Allen Amuimuia has fought back, going to Court to fight his suspension. Will he win? Probably not. Courts don't tend to second guess officials' rulings on matters stemming from game calls such as whether a player merited an ejection. Allen will get an injunction, but ultimately he will likely lose this case. See Pulaski Academy Center Loses AAA Appeal of Suspension, reported by Jeremy Muck, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, September 22, 2016.
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September 10, 2016 - Riverside, CA. Double Forfeits Declared In Fight Marred Football Game. See 2 Local High School Football Teams Must Forfeit Games After Brawl On The Field , reported by Rachel Kim, CBS-TV, Los Angeles, CA, September 13, 2016.
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September 10, 2016 - Ventura, CA - Player Arrested In Assault On Ref During Ventura Football Game reported by Joe Curley, Ventura County Star, September 11, 2016. This incident was captured on film - one can clearly see a Mt. SAC player punch the official. Bernard Schimer, the alleged puncher, received a 5 year suspension, but plans to appeal on the ground that the punch was accidental. See Football Player Suspended Five Years For Hitting Referee reported by Beth Farnsworth, KEYT - KCOY - KKFX TV, Ventura, CA., September 12, 2016.
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August 27, 2016 - Ft. Pierce, FL - Ft. Pierce Football Fight Evacuates Entire Stadium, reported by Victoria Price, WTSP - CBS 12.
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August 26, 2016 - Kansas City, MO - H.S. Running Back Makes National News By Kicking Prone Opponent After Tackle. See Blue Springs Football Player's Display of Poor Sportsmanship Can Serve As Lesson For Athletes; RB Suspended 2 Games, reported by John Pepitone, Fox Channel 4, Kansas City, August 29, 2016.
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July 19, 2016 - Buffalo Grove, IL - Ex-High School Water Polo Player: I was Sexually Assaulted During Game, reported by Tony Briscoe, Chicago Tribune. Rebecca Dabrowski alleges that she was sexually assaulted by a player from Libertyville High School. Dabrowski played on the boys' water polo team. If you're not familiar with water polo, fairly rough play occurs below the water line out of view of officials, coaches and spectators. But a sexual assault would be beyond the pale. Dabrowski's bringing a Title IX action. She's also been on ESPN's Outside The Lines Show. This is one of those cases that has the ring of truth while at the same time being virtually impossible to prove. Still, both schools needed to try... a full investigation was in order and it's not clear if that ever occurred. We will soon find out.
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June 22, 2016 - Moultrie, GA - Head-Butting Football Coach Suspended, Not By High School Governing Body but By The State's Teacher Certification Board. See Five Things You Need To Know Regarding Rush Propst's Suspension by Jim Halley, USA Today.
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June 19, 2016 - Sydney Australia - Teen Referee's Eye Socket, Jaw Fractured As Out of Control Parent Attacks During Junior Rugby League Match in Sydney, reported by Peter Fegan, Channel 7 News, Sydney.
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June 15, 2016 - Lancaster, PA - Guilty Plea by parent who attacked youth track coach over daughter's playing time. See Manheim Township Man Admits He "Messed Up Big Time" In Threatening Track Coach: Pleads Guilty to Three Charges by Jonas Fortune, Lancasteronline.com. How did it all start? See Man Charged With Threatening Manheim Township School Employee Over Daughter's Status On Track Team Says Coach 'Disrespected' His Child by Ryan Robinson, Lancasteronline.com, April 14, 2016.
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June 4, 2016 - Monee, IL - Umpire says Monee Mayor Jay Farquhar broke his jaw. According to The Daily Southtown, the Mayor says he defended himself "by throwing up my right arm." See Mayor Suspended From Baseball Group After Ump Says He Broke His Jaw by Erin Gallagher, The Daily Southtown, June 8, 2016. Also see, Ump: Mayor Punched Me, Broke My Jaw Over Call In Game of 7 and 8-Year Olds by Bob Cook, Forbes.com, June 9, 2016. UPDATE - Ex-Monee mayor who was accused of breaking ump's jaw at youth baseball game pleads guilty to aggravated battery, records show, reported by Alicia Fabbre, Chicago Tribune, June 28, 2018.
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May 23, 2016 – Dietrich, Idaho - White High School Football Players In Idaho Charged With Raping Black Disabled Teammate With a Coat Hanger by Michael E. Miller, Washington Post, May 25, 2016. These charges involve hazing, sexual assault, blatant racial abuse, and abuse of a student with “mental disorders”. The worst of the alleged abusers has been identified as one John R.K. Howard. Howard allegedly teamed with Tanner Ward and other football players to jam a hanger up the Black student’s rear end, and then kicked the hanger multiple times. Howard also allegedly forced the Black student to sing a racist song called “Notorious KKK.” See also Teen Charged in Dietrich Locker Room Assault Arraigned In District Court, Magic Valley Times-News, May 23, 2016.
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May 22, 2016 - Northville Township, MI - Cops: Parent Assaults 16-Year-Old Referee at Northville Soccer Game reported by Robert Allen, Detroit Free Press, May 23, 2016.
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May 16, 2016 - El Paso, TX - See Montwood Baseball Players Accused in Whip Hazing, El Paso Times; To see this story in USA Today, see Texas HS Baseball Players Accused of Whipping Underclassmen In Hazing
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BAD ACTS/HAZING: Santa Fe, NM - Santa Fe High Fires Basketball Coach After Investigation Into Hazing by James Barron, The Santa Fe New Mexican, April 22, 2016 (breaking the story of a February hazing incident).
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April 20, 2016 - Cooper City, FL – BAD ACTS – This time it’s the coaches going at it. See Coaches’ Brawl at Youth Baseball Game Caught on Tape, ABC News, April 20, 2016.
April 19, 2016 - BAD ACTS: Knoxville, TN - TSSAA Penalizes Lenoir City Soccer After 'goalkeeper' Punched Farragut Player by Chris Thomas, Knoxville News Sentinel, April 23, 2016. The TSSAA took a strong stand here, suspending the player (who is not a senior) in all sports for life, fining the school $1,500, and barring the school's soccer team from post-season play this year.
March 18, 2016 – BAD ACTS/HAZING: Berwyn, PA - ‘No Gay Thursday’ Coach Out! See Conestoga Coach Vogan Resigns Amid Hazing Scandal, Delaware County Times, March 18, 2016.
March 17, 2016 – BAD ACTS: Frisco, TX – Texas High School Coach Allegedly Told Black Students, “I’m Going To Hang You in That Tree” by Sebastian Murdock, Huffington Post, March 17, 2016. Todd Campbell, assistant football coach at Centennial High in Frisco, TX, has resigned in the wake of this story.
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February 25, 2016 Idaho - Video: Shoving Match Between Mascots In Idaho Nearly Incites a Brawl by Ben Rohrbach, USA Today.
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Howell, N.J. - February 7, 2016 - Parents Attack Referees After High School Hockey Game Ends In Controversy by Chris Rotolo and Amanda Oglesby, Asbury Park Press, February 8, 2016 (reprinted in USA Today); and see Refs' Boycott Narrowly Avoided After Howell Hockey Fight by Matthew Stanmyre, NJ.com, February 11, 2016.
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February 5, 2016 - Akron, Ohio - Three Akron Girls Charged With Riot Following Basketball Brawl, reported by Derek Waller, ABC Channel Five News, Cleveland, Ohio. Police had to break this fight up with pepper spray.
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February 4, 2016 - Argyle, N.Y. - Police: Fan Attacked Referee At Girls' Basketball Game by Don Lehman, Argyle (N.Y.) Post-Star.
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Jan. 14, 2016 - Miami, FL - Florida Christian High Players and Fans Beat Up A Soccer Ref In Miami by Trevor Bach, Miami New Times, January 15, 2016.
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Jan. 8, 2016 – Pikes County Kentucky. This middle school brawl was caught on film. It’s a doozy of a brawl, but what’s more interesting are the people allegedly involved. The fight allegedly involves a coach who pulled his team off the court, leading to his father, who is a county magistrate, having an alleged brawl with one of the referees, leading to allegations that the referee kicked the magistrate. The video doesn’t show the referee kicking anybody, but it does show the referee being tackled by a spectator. See Middle School Basketball Coach Resigns For Game Brawl Caught On Video, Fox News 17 (Pikes County, Ky), January 17, 2016.
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Langhorne, PA - Jan. 6, 2016 - High School Coach on Leave After Apparently Head Butting Ref, Associated Press.
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December 21, 2015 – Gatlinburg, TN – Ooltewah High School Basketball Player Undergoes Surgery After Being Allegedly Hazed By Three Teammates In Gatlinburg Cabin by Stephen Hargis, Chattanooga Times Free Press, December 24, 2015. This ugly incident involved sexual abuse that was severe enough to require the victim to undergo surgery. The victim was assaulted with a pool cue that broke inside him and ruptured his colon. The AD and Basketball coach faced criminal charges for failing to report child sexual abuse, and the principal was reassigned in the aftermath of this incident. Click here for details. Also, a detective investigating the case was charged with two counts of aggravated perjury in May, 2016. See Detective Charged With Aggravated Perjury Could Face Harshest Penalty In Ooltewah Rape Case by Kendi Anderson, Chattanooga Times Free Press, May 21, 2016.
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December 6, 2015 - Susquehanna Township, PA - Dad who threatened to kill ref in December gets sentenced to three days in jail. See Hockey Dad Sentenced To Three Days In Prison For Threatening To Kill Referee by Joe Elias, Pennlive.com, March 30, 2016.
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November 6 ,2015 - Wichita, KS - Officials Attacks – Referee Speaks About Alleged Assault to KSN, reported by Lindsay Cobb, KSN – TV, November 16, 2015.
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October 15, 2015 – Norvelt, Pennsylvania – In an ugly reflection of our times, a youth football league cancelled its season after someone left gun shells bearing the names of league administrators and referees at the stadium gates. See Youth Football Season Canceled Because of Bullet Shell Threats, ABC News.
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October 3, 2015 - Kissimmee, FL - Lakeland Dad Punches Ref, Football Season Cancelled, reported by Michael Shingleton, Fox-TV 13, October 9, 2015.
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September 28, 2015. Coach Edward Wallace, the Dwyer High School softball coach, was arrested and charged with battery after the incident. Wallace allegely head-butted umpire Fernando O'Neill.
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September 27, 2015 - McHenry, IL - McHenry Man Punched Referee Who Ejected Him From Soccer Game, Police Say, ABC 7 TV, Chicago, September 29, 2015.
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September 27, 2015 - Stuart, FL - Softball Coach Charged After Allegedly Head-Butting Ump, reported by Dave Brousseau, South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
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September 25, 2015 - Springfield, MA - Officials Attacks - Springfield Softball Ump Attacked, Injured Over Disputed Call by Allison Wichie, Springfield News-Sun
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September 4, 2015 - San Antonio, TX - High School Football Players Spear Ref From Behind Per Coach's Instruction. In a nationally publicized story, one player speared the official, Robert Watts, from behind and the other jumped on him when he was down. The school initially tried to excuse - or explain - the attack by saying the official made racist statements. But, there's no evidence of that. This was just a case of a losing team losing their cool and attacking the officials. Later, we found out that an assistant coach was behind the attack. See Videos of San Antonio Football Players Investigated by Police by Elisha Fieldstadt, NBC News, San Antonio, September 8, 2015; Former John Jay Coach Pleads Guilty In Assault on Blindsided Official; Charges Against Players To Come, USA Today Sports, December 14, 2015.
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July 3, 2015 - Jupiter, FL - 16 Year Old Charged After Punching Umpire Following Strikeout, reported by Bill DiPaolo, Palm Beach Post, July 21, 2015.
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July 1, 2015 - Brewer, ME - Brewer Little League Coach Arrested At Game, reported by Larry Mahoney, Bangor Daily News, July 2, 2015. The coach, Jarrod Williams, was arrested for allegedly threatening the umpires.
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May 12, 2015 - Johns Creek, GA - Chattahoochee high school player sucker punches referee. See Cops: High School Soccer Player "Sucker Punched" Referee, reported by Tyler Estep, Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Andrew Gray, the player at issue, later entered into a plea agreement under which he would pay $2,000 in restitution, perform community service and speak to students and officials about why his actions were wrong. The plea agreement was reported in the October 2015 issue of Referee Magazine.
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Bloomington, MN - March 14, 2015 - Players Scuffle at Bloomington Youth Basketball Game; Adults Get Loud, Ornery by Paul Walsh, Minneapolis Star Tribune, March 15, 2015. This matter could have been much worse. For some reason the adults engaged in a verbal dispute but never came to blows.
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Chicago, IL - March 12, 2015 - Prep Team Suspended From Playoffs After Brawl Breaks Out At Game, reported by Erik Runge and Courtney Cousman, WGN Radio, Chicago; andSuspended Team Denied Reinstatement For Playoffs, CLTV, March 13, 2015. This post-game handshake line had severe ramifications for the two teams involved as their league issued a three game suspension to both teams, causing the two teams to miss the playoffs.
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Dallas, TX - February 14, 2015 - Excellent triple overtime basketball game marred by 'white power' sign. See Parents, Students Decry 'White Power' Signs at Game, USAToday.com, February 17, 2015. But, one of the nice things about sports in an educational environment is the ability to educate and try to remedy the harm. Here, the two schools involved in the 'white power' game had a reconciliation prior to their rematch. See Flower Mound, Plano East Teams Show Unity Week After 'White' and 'Power' Signs by Eva-Marie Ayala, Dallas Morning News, February 25, 2015.
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Griffith, IN - February 7, 2015 - Brawl Stops Hammond-Griffith Boys Basketball Game by Steve Hanlon, NWI Times.
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February 5, 2016 - Akron, Ohio - Three Akron Girls Charged With Riot Following Basketball Brawl, reported by Derek Waller, ABC Channel Five News, Cleveland, Ohio. Police had to break this fight up with pepper spray.
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February 5, 2016 - BAD ACTS/HAZING: Santa Fe, NM - Santa Fe High Fires Basketball Coach After Investigation Into Hazing by James Barron, The Santa Fe New Mexican, April 22, 2016 (breaking the story of a February hazing incident).
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Kelowna, BC, Canada - January 26, 2015 - The Kelowna Daily Courier decries a recent wave of "Little League" parent syndrome, complete with a parent threatening three teenage hockey officials. See Parent Rage A New Scourge by James Miller, Kelowna Daily Courier, January 26, 2015.
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Lafayette, CA - January 24, 2015 - Racial Slurs Or A Coach Who Blames Refs When She Loses? We May Never Know. Berkeley High Coach Cheryl Draper pulled her team from the court in the fourth quarter of a loss to Miramonte. The opposing coach was quoted as saying that Draper told the Miramonte team, "It's not about you guys, it's about the referees." However, Draper claims she pulled her team because spectators behind her bench used the "n" word.
Draper cast a wide net of blame, stating, "The coaches, officials, and administrators let an ugly word turn a very good game into a very ugly scene." See Controversy Mars Girls Showcase Game by Mitch Stephens, San Francisco Chronicle, January 25, 2015, page B11.
It's not clear how referees are responsible for the spectators' comments, but this wouldn't be the first time that Draper vented on referees. In 2012, she reportedly chased the referees off the court after a loss. See Girls Basketball: St. Ignatius Slips Past Berkeley In Controversial Finish by Jeremy Balan, SanFranPreps.com, December 22, 2012.
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Stockton, CA - January 16, 2015 - Racial Taunting at High School Basketball Game. See High School Sports: Taunt Leads To Accusations of Racism by Elizabeth Roberts, Stockton Record, January 20, 2015
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Canada, January 8, 2015 - Hockey Dad pleads guilty to uttering threats against 10-year old youth hockey player. There's something wrong when a 57-year old dad tells a boy, "If you touch my son again, I'll f---ing kill you." See Hockey Dad Avoids Jail Time For Threatening To Kill Son's Teammate by Justin McElroy, Global News - CA, January 8, 2015.
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Broward, FL - November 1, 2014 - Official Sucker Punched, Suffers Broken Jaw At Youth Football Game. This was a particularly ugly incident. The losing coach tried to get at the referee, yelling "This how you going to do us." The coach was held back, but a number of spectators charged the field, attacking one of the officials. The incident was captured on video, and posted on-line, leading to a number of negative comments from people who either sympathized with the attackers or found the attack to be amusing. Among the lines were a meme posted above the officiating crews' photo that said, "Scared Refs Be Like 'We Not Refs. We Work At Foot Locker.'" See Boys' Football Game Turns Into Adult Brawl, Injuring Referee in Broward by Andrea Torres, Local 10 Television, November 5, 2014.
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Switzerland - November 1, 2014 - Swiss League Gives Amateur Footballer A 50-Year Ban For Kicking Ball in Referee's Face by Brooks Peck, yahoo sports blog. I note that the title underplays the incident a bit. The player kicked the ball in the referee's face, and then squirted the referee with water.
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Sayreville, NJ - October 21, 2014 - Things Heat Up In Sayreville: Probe Spreads To Baseball and A Racial Component Surfaces. See Sayreville Baseball Coaches Among Those Suspended In District Hazing Probe by Vernal Coleman, NewJersey.com, October 24, 2014. The Sayreville case not only involves hazing; it has a racial component, too. See New Divide Threatens Sayreville As All Seven Students Arrested Are Minorities by Wayne Coffey, New York Daily News, October 21, 2014.
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Hazing Scandal Shuts Down Elite New Jersey High School Football Program and Leads To Criminal Charges. See Sayreville H.S. Cancels Football Season Over Allegations of Pervasive Hazing by Danielle Elliot, yahoo sports blog, October 7, 2014; see also Seven Sayreville Football Players Facing Charges In Hazing Scandal, USA Today High School Sports Blog, October 10, 2014. This offensive hazing scandal led the New York Times to ask whether we should eliminate high school sports. Click here for the Times's somewhat self-indulgent debate on eliminating high school sports.
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Toms River, NJ – October 6, 2014 - Coach Cancels Football Season Due To Poor Sportsmanship, Resulting In a Parent Showing Poor Sportsmanship By Attacking The Coach. See Parent Attacks Football Coach Over Cancelled Season, Toms River Police Say by Ashley Peskoe, New Jersey.com, Oct. 6, 2014
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Alameda, CA – September 29, 2014 – In the wake of an ugly brawl in which one of its players knocked out an opponent, the administration at Alameda’s Encinal High School did something shocking: they cancelled their next game, which just so happened to be a historic rivalry. Well, you know what happened next. There was a community uproar. People wanted Encinal to send a message, but not at the price of their next game. Sometimes school administrators pay a price for having guts. Encinal did the right thing, but read about it yourself. See Alameda Rivalry Football Game Cancelled Due To Fight, reported by Alan Wang, ABC News TV 7, San Francisco, CA, September 29, 2014.
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Shawnee, OK -September 19, 2014 - Bench Clearing Brawl Ends Oklahoma High School Game. See High School Football Notebook: OSSAA Waiting For Report On Tecumseh, Meeker Fight by Scott Wright, Jacob Unruh, and Trent Shadid, News OK, September 20, 2014.
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Toledo, Ohio - September 12, 2014 - Fight Ends High School Football Game Early, reported by Sanaa Orra, Channel 13, Toledo.. Two bits of bad news. First, clearly there was a fight that was bad enough to end a game. Second, Toledo's already been in the news due to a non-athletic related fight in one of its high schools. The one bit of good news is that this is one of the rare fights where we haven't seen crazed spectators getting involved or parents charging onto the field or spillover at sites away from the game. This was, in short, an old-fashioned ugly incident. It may be damning the Toledo people with faint page, but as bad as this was, it could have been worse.
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Albuquerque, NM - September 4, 2014 - Prep Soccer Fight Sends La Cueva Player To Hospital, reported by Orlando Sanchez, KOAT Channel 7, Albuquerque.
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Houston, TX - August 29, 2014 - Spectator Brawl Wipes Out Burger Joint. See Mass Fight At Cypress Whataburger After Big Night of High School Football by Heather Alexander, Houston Chronicle, September 2, 2014.
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Garfield Heights, Ohio - August 29, 2014 - Huge Spectator and Player Brawl Mars Ohio High School Game. See Three Spectators Could Face Charges In High School Football Game Fight, reported by Maria Scali, Fox TV Channel 8, Cleveland, August 30, 2014; see also Video Shows Bench Clearing Brawl At Ohio High School Football Game by Brandon Blackwell, Cleveland.com, August 30, 2014.
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Columbia, MO - July 28, 2014 - Man Accused of Assaulting Teenage Umpire at Show-Me Games, Columbia Tribune.
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Livonia, MI – June 29, 2014 - Adult League Soccer Player Kills Official In Michigan. John Bieniewicz, a highly respected soccer official, was killed by an adult league soccer player. Reports indicate that Bieniewicz was punched while he was reaching for a red card to issue to an ejected player. In short, an angry ejected player sucker punched Bieniewicz. Baseel Abdul-Amir Saad has been charged in this incident. This tragic incident occurred a little more than a year after Utah official Ricardo Portillo was killed by an angry youth soccer player. See Referee Dies After Being Punched At Soccer Match by Mike Householder, AP Wire Service on ABC News, June 30, 2014; Soccer Referee Declared Dead After Being Punched In Game by Elisha Anderson, USA Today, July 1, 2014.
Barry Mano, the head of the National Association of Sports Officials, says, “It will happen again.” See ‘It Will Happen Again’ Says Sports Official On Violent Death of Soccer Referee by Khalil AlHajal, MichiganLive.com, July 3, 2014. For more from Barry Mano, click here for the National Association of Sports Officials’ (NASO) Press Release on this incident.
Spiro, OK - May 14, 2014 - Ugly racial attack on African-American spectator leads to protests in Spiro, Oklahoma. It seems that the spectator was dating a white girl whose brother was playing in the game, and whose family wasn't too keen on interracial dating. For a pretty comprehensive report on the incident, see Town's Racial Tension's Laid Bare After White Baseball Player Leaves Game To Join Fight Against Black Man by Bob Cook on the Forbes.com Sports and Leisure blog, May 14, 2014. Cook has also written an excellent blog post entitled Racism In Youth Sports: It Shocks, But Too Frequent To Be Shocking, Forbes.com Sports and Leisure Blog, March 17, 2014.
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Golden Gate, FL – May 14, 2014 – Adult soccer player head butts ref – and then slaps him for good measure. See Soccer Player Attacks Referee During Golden Gate Game by Bryan Anderson, ABC 7, May 14, 2014. The attacked official, Sergio Pomajambo, was knocked out. He was luckier than John Bieniewicz, a Michigan soccer official, who was killed in June, 2014, by an angry adult soccer player.
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New Jersey - May 10, 2014 – Former Major League Baseball Pitcher Mitch Williams Hits The Trifecta of Stupidity and Poor Sportsmanship. First, he got ejected for throwing a profane tirade; second, he reportedly ordered his pitcher to throw at an opponent; third, he reportedly heckled opposing coaches and players, and directed profanity toward at least one of his own players. And, he did all this in a 10 and under league. See Report: Parents say Mitch Williams Ordered Little League Game Beaning by Mike Axisa, CBS Sports Eye On Baseball, May 16, 2014.
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Bryan County, OK - May 5, 2014 - Coach Pleads Guilty to Misdemeanor Battery After Beaning His Baseball Players As a Punishment. That's right, Roy West thought it was a good idea to throw baseballs at junior high school kids when they made mistakes. If you've ever been hit by a baseball, it hurts and it can cause serious damage. And this man was in charge of people's kids. See Baseball Coach Admits Beaning HS Players To Punish Them, CBS News, May 5, 2014.
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Paulsboro, NJ - May 2, 2014 - Wrestling Rivalry Comes To An End After Lynching/Dummy Incident. Yes, you read it right. A group of "witty" wrestlers from New Jersey's Phillipsburg High decided to promote their rivalry with Paulsboro High by tying a noose around a dark skinned dummy wearing a Paulsboro jersey and hanging the dummy with the Phillipsburg wrestlers posed in front. And while the high school boys may have thought this was witty, 7 white males hanging a "black" dummy has some racial overtones. So, after a lot of contemplation, Paulsboro's administration has cancelled a series between two highly successful wrestling programs. See Paulsboro, Phillipsburg Wrestling Match Won't Happen This Year After Controversial Photo by Rebecca Forand, South Jersey Times, May 2, 2014
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Coalfield, TN - April 18, 2014 - Coaches, Mother and Player Combine To Make Ump's Life Miserable. See Coalfield High School Player's Fight With Umpire Leads To Arrested, Forfeited Season, reported by WBIR, Knoxville, TN, April 22, 2014. One interesting note about news coverage. WBIR's headline says the player and umpire had a fight. I don't think the umpire would call this a fight. He'd probably say he was attacked ... because he was.
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Portland, OR - April 10, 2014 - Brawl Breaks Out Between Portland Catholic HS Teams, reported by Nina Mehlhaf, KGW TV, Portland, April 11, 2014.
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Rockford, IL - March 6, 2014 - For the second straight year, the Illinois High School Association's (IHSA) State Basketball playoffs have been marred by an ugly incident. Last year, saw an ugly incident with racial overtones. See Illinois State Championship Game Marred by Allegations of Racism by Ben Rohrbach, Yahoo Sports Prep Rally, March 13, 2013. This year, saw an ugly post-game handshake incident. See Brawl Breaks out After High School Basketball Game, CBS TV Chicago, March 6, 2014; and click here for video
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Cyprus - February 28, 2014 - - In Cyprus, kill the ref was taken literally when some unknown, unhappy person bombed a soccer referee's car. See Cyprus FA Postpones Weekend Matches After Bomb Damages Referee's Car, Associated Press, Feb. 28, 2014.
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Lakewood, CO – February 28, 2014 – Conviction in the groping ref case! Basketball referee Stephen Amador was convicted of sexually assaulting five players in December, 2012 and January, 2013. Amador grabbed their breasts and buttocks during games. See Former Girls Basketball Referee Stephen Amador Gets Jail For Groping Players During Lakewood Games, reported by Alan Gathright, The Denver Channel, February 28, 2014. You may wonder how Amador managed to grope players in full view of their parents, and classmates. Well, he’d hand a girl the ball and his hand would graze her breasts. Just enough so the girl would dismiss it as unintentional, and the fans wouldn't notice. However, when you have grazing contacts over and over again with multiple people, somebody eventually puts two and two together. See Girl Basketball Players In Lakewood Told Police Creepy Referee Kept Groping Them In Games, reported by Alan Gathright and Molly Hendrickson, ABC News Denver, CO, April 16, 2013.
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Stockton, CA - February 14, 2014 - Valentines Day Attack on Coach's Wife. McNair High School spectator attacks St. Mary's Stockton coach Tom Gonsalves's wife in a pretty shocking beat down. See Fan Attacks Rival High School Basketball Coach's Wife During Game, reported by CBS - TV 13, Sacramento, CA.
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Ware Shoal, SC – February 3, 2014 – Racial Slur Sparks Large Fight At Ware Shoals Basketball Game. reported by WSPA, Spartanburg, S.C...
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Greensburg, PA – January 29, 2014 - WPIAL Suspends Basketball Coach After Alleged Incident With Referee, reported by CBS TV, Pittsburgh, PA – January 29, 2014. This controversial incident involves Greensburg Central Catholic Basketball Coach, Greg Bisignani allegedly bumping referee Pat Tucci. Bisignani concedes verbally criticizing Tucci, but claims any contact was inadvertent.
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Gaffney, S.C. – January 27, 2014 – Gaffney Student Accused of Pouring Bleach In Gatorade Cooler, reported by WSPA, Spartanburg, S.C. We occasionally see a drink spiking story. Last year, a high school student poured urine into an opponent’s Gatorade cooler. And, of course, we all know that college – and high school – kids spike the Kool Aid with alcohol. Well, this one’s an ugly story with a health risk, but it’s more of a dumb prank than an attempt to harm the opponents. A middle school student poured bleach into a Gatorade cooler that was used by both teams. The student poured about a cap full of bleach into a 7 gallon cooler. A bad act, but fortunately nobody got hurt and the student appears to be extremely stupid as opposed to extremely malicious.
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New Haven, CT - January 7, 2014 - It didn't take long for fights to mar high school sports in 2014. See Boys' Basketball: Brawl Brings Halt To Wilbur Cross - North Haven Game Tuesday, reported by Joe Morelli, Gametimect.com, January 7, 2014.
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South Milwaukee, WI - December 21, 2013 - Brutal Rec-League Basketball Fight Mars South Milwaukee Hoops Game. See Fight Breaks Out After Rec Department Girls' Basketball Game In South Milwaukee, South Milwaukee Now, December 31, 2013.
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Baldwin, La – November 5, 2013. West St. Mary High School football players attack referee at end of game. Click here for Chris Rosa’s story in the Vermillion Today (a Louisiana newspaper). West St. Mary’s paid a heavy toll for this attack. Click here for the extensive penalties imposed on the school, coaches, and players in the aftermath of this attack. The players also will face criminal charges.
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Salem, OR - October 30, 2013 - An Oregon School For The Deaf football player made physical contact with an official after a contest. The school was fined $100, and the student was put on probation for the remainder of his tenure in high school. There are no media reports, but one can find information on this matter in the Summary of the Oregon School Activities Association's December 2, 2013 Executive Committee meeting.
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October 5, 2013 - West Covina, CA - Softball Pitcher Intentionally Hits Umpire With Pitch. Click here for video. Click here for more details. We’ve heard of this before, but this time it’s caught on film. A fast pitch softball team that was unhappy with the umpiring designs a play in which the catcher jumps out of the way, and lets a pitch hit the umpire. In this case, the umpire ejected the pitcher, catcher, and coach and then called the game. See Softball Team Organizes Play To Intentionally Hit Umpire in Face with Pitch, reporting and video by Larry Brown Sports, December 5, 2013.
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Coatesville, PA - September 24, 2013 – Football Coach/Superintendent Exchange Racist, Sexist, and Homophobic Texts. See Racial epithets litter text messages of Coatesville school officials by William Bender, Philadelphia Daily News, September 24, 2013
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Santa Clarita, CA - August 8, 2013 - Football Coach Gets Ten Days For Battery On Teen Referee by Jim Holt, Santa Clarita Valley Signal, August 8, 2013. Aherjon Palmer was convicted under California’s law that criminalizes batteries on sports officials. He attacked a 17-year-old youth sports official who was working a flag football game in a league for 12-year-olds. Palmer was quite appropriately barred from coaching for two years.
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Greeley, CO - July 24, 2013 - Greeley Couple Cited In Youth League Baseball Brawl, reported by Jaclyn Allen, ABC 7, Denver, CO, July 25, 2013.
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Lynn, MA - July 5, 2013 - Men's League Soccer Ref Badly Beaten After Giving Out Red Card in Massachusetts Men's League Game. Are officials safe anywhere? It doesn't seem that way in 2013. This attack occurred less than three months after soccer official Ricardo Portillo was killed after giving out a red card in a Utah soccer game. For more on this attack, see Lynn Referee Attacked After Giving Out Red Card, WHDH TV (Boston), July 5, 2013.
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Rohnert Park, CA - June 22, 2013 - It's not always the parents fighting; it just seems that way. Adults can be just as bad as we can see when we see a report of 40 people fighting at the conclusion of a semi-pro football game in Northern California. See Semi-Pro Football Game Ends In Massive Brawl, KTVU-TV 2, San Francisco, June 22, 2013; and Parking Lot Brawl Erupts After Semi-Pro Football Game, reported by Cody Kitaura, Rohnert Park-Cotati Patch, June 23, 2013.
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Newark, N.J. - June 12, 2013 - Justice Delayed, But Not Denied. Two years ago, Little League umpire, Robert Waters, was attacked by Little League coach Henry Milstrey and sixteen youths following a youth baseball game. Milstrey's beef? He thought the game should have been called due to darkness. Yes, this is another case of somebody involved in youth sports beating up an official because he disagreed with the official's decision. Well, it took two years, but Milstrey finally pleaded guilty to third-degree aggravated assault. Justice was served - but at a high price. Waters suffered a fractured skull, lost two teeth, and suffered hearing loss in the attack according to news reports. See Baseball Coach Pleads To Attacking Little League Umpire, UPI, June 13, 2013; Newark Little League Coach Pleads Guilty To Assaulting Umpire Two Days Into Jury Deliberations by Julia Terruso, Newark Star-Ledger, June 12, 2013.
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Duluth, GA - May 17, 2013 - Coach, Wife Jailed After Fight At Youth Baseball Game, WSBTV, Duluth, GA. When all is said and done, this is another example of sports parents out of control. As often happens, they were caught on film, and presumably are embarrassed about the whole thing (although one never knows how embarrassed some of the people involved in these incidents truly are). One may think that this was a heated, competitive game. In truth, it was a pee wee baseball game involving six year old children who are so new to the game that their parents serve as pitchers and simply lob the ball into them. In youth sports vernacular, this parents' pitch ball is one step above t-ball and it's about as instructional a level of baseball as one could possibly have. Parents who are fighting at this level, are strong candidates to have much bigger problems when their children are old enough to engage in truly competitive play..
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Berkeley Township, N.J. - May 1, 2013 - Little League Coach Arrested For Assaulting Teen Umpire. 17-year old kids umpiring Little League games get low pay, and a lot of abuse. They probably accept this as part of the job. What they don't expect is for a grown man to slap them because he disagreed with a call. Yet, that's exactly what one teenage umpire got when he had the bad fortune of umpiring a game coached by Thomas Murphy, a grown man and veteran coach. Murphy has been arrested, and charged with assault for allegedly slapping the teenage umpire following his ejection from a game. See N.J. Little League Coach Accused of Assaulting Teen Umpire, CBS Channel 2, New York, May 3, 2013.
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Salt Lake City, Utah - April 27, 2013 - 17 Year-Old Soccer Player Kills Ref With Sucker Punch Over Yellow Card. So it comes to this, again. A player in a Salt Lake City rec-league soccer game attacked referee Ricardo Portillo from behind after receiving a yellow card. The players’ sucker punch placed Portillo in a coma with severe brain swelling. Portillo died a week after the attack. See Police Report Details Attack By Player That Left Utah Soccer Referee In Coma, by Bob Mims, Salt Lake Tribune, May 3, 2013; and Utah Soccer Referee Ricardo Portillo Dies Week After Being Punched, by Jennifer Dobner, Salt Lake City Tribune, May 4, 2013. For a televised report, see Soccer Ref Punched Into Coma By Teen Player, ABC News, May 3, 2013. Click here for Jim Thompson of the Positive Coaching Alliance's comments on Ricardo Portillo's death. For comments from Barry Mano of the National Association of Sports Officials, see A Whistle, A Punch, and A Soccer Referee Is Dead, by Sam Borden, New York Times, May 7, 2013.
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Granite Bay, CA - April 26, 2013. High School JV Baseball Fight Caught On Film. This large brawl has triggered an investigation from the two school districts whose teams were involved in the fight. As is too often the case, parents blame the umpires for not controlling the game. It is not clear how an umpire could be in any way responsible for what can be seen on film. We never get to hear from the umpires in this matter, but if we did, they might tell us something that strikes closer to home. An incident such as this one, where a swarm of players from one school mob a player from another school and then beat up people who appear to be trying to stop them from further aggression may say as much about the home training (can we say parenting) of the students involved than it says about the quality of the umpiring. Of course, we'll never hear that because umpires can't say that, coaches can't say that, and school administrators can't say that. Now, for all I know, these could be the best raised kids in the world. Even the best raised kids can have a bad moment. However, it does get a bit tired for so many people who have so many ugly bad moments to point their fingers at the umpires. Even if one assumes that the umpires didn't control things, one still has to ask the question why should they have to control something that goes so far beyond the realm of what we'd expect from a high school JV baseball game. You can see Investigation Into High School Baseball Brawl, ABC News Channel 10, Sacramento, CA, April 25, 2013.
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Ripon, WI - April 15, 2013 - Coach Fired After His Brother Attacks Ump. Carroll University of Wisconsin baseball coach Derek Hassell was fired after an incident in which his brother allegedly assaulted an umpire during a Carroll contest against Wisconsin's Ripon College. This unsporting act also was an ill timed act. Ripon's athletic director wrote down the license plate number of the attacker's car, which was traced back to - you guessed it - Hassell's brother. It's not clear if Hassell's termination linked to the alleged assault, but one thing is clear, sometimes it just doesn't pay to be related to someone who's mean, dumb, and unlucky. See Charges Filed In Umpire Attack At RC by Ian Stepleton, Ripon Press, May 22, 2013.
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Brazil, April 2013 - In April, 2013, we had an incident that seems surreal, but, unfortunately, it actually happened. A Brazilian soccer referee took to carrying a knife for protection in what appears to be the Brazilian equivalent of a semipro soccer game. At the end of the game, a player approached the official. The official pulled out a knife and stabbed the player, who later died. The crowd reacted by doing exactly what the official feared; they attacked him, and they didn’t stop attacking him until they beheaded him. Pretty ugly – maybe the ugliest sports violence story I’ve ever heard of. Click here for details.
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Monett, MO - March 20, 2013 - Sneaking Urine Into Opponents' Water Cooler: This Is When An Apology Is Not Enough. Monett (Missouri) High School's girls' basketball team recently discovered that they were the victims of one of the worst pranks ever. Four girls from opposing Cassville High School urinated into cups, and then dumped the contents of one of the cups into the Monett water cooler. This raises a bunch of questions. First, who would do such a thing? Second, should anybody who would do such a thing be allowed anywhere near an athletic contest ever? I would contend that the Cassville program should be shut down before the four students involved ever be allowed to play. Third, how could anybody ever think that they'd find three other people who would want to be involved in something like this? The fact that a person could even think that somebody else would want to join in is problematic. Fourth, wouldn't this be the right time for school administrator to show outrage? The Cassville administration has apologized and stated that disciplinary actions will be taken against the girls who played this filthy prank, according to news reports. However, this merits more. This is the time when an administrator needs to step up and acknowledge that they're ticked off, and that they're going to look at the future of their sports program and look at the future of the pranksters' involvement in the program. Apologies aren't sufficient, here. There's a deeper problem. Cassville may be addressing it, but there are times when an administrator has to take some strong public actions. This is one of those times. If you don't believe that a group of students could actually do something like this, see: Missouri School Says Rival Girls Basketball Team Poured Urine Into Opponents' Water by Sam Levin, Riverfront Times, March 26, 2013; and School Investigates Urine Prank At Girls' Basketball Game, reported by Barrett Tryon, Fox TV, Cassville, MO., March 25, 2013.
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March 17, 2013 - Saginaw, MI - Man Pushes Wrestling Ref, Gets Arrested. See Brawl At Wrestling Meet At SVSU Leads To Arrest, WNEM Channel 5, March 21, 2013.
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Champaign, IL – March 9, 2013 – Poor Sportsmanship, Allegation of Racial Slurs Mar Illinois State Championship Basketball Game - Who do the teams blame when they disgrace the game? The referees. Who else?
We saw the worst in character on the biggest stage. Seton High School of South Holland, IL refused to come to the post-game awards ceremony after a state championship game. After Seton was lambasted for poor sportsmanship, they alleged that their opponents from Harrisburg High School used racial slurs during the game.
Was Seton right to walk out? Well, I understand why they walked out, but they were flat out wrong. We are charged with honoring the game. Part of that includes appearing at an awards ceremony. Now, it is easy to honor the game when all goes well. The true test of character and sportsmanship comes in the adverse moments. Here, Seton failed to honor the game. Their failure occurred in the face of adversity. We can properly sympathize with them being upset over racial slurs, but we still must acknowledge that they reacted in a manner that did not honor the game, and did not display character and dignity. Seton's level of character was not up to this very adverse moment.
Harrisburg denies that they used racial slurs, but they're still not without fault here. Obviously, they would share in the blame if they used racial slurs - although Seton's walk-out would still have been improper. Of course, in 2013 nobody wants to admit that they used racial slurs. Harrisburg is no different. Of course, we've seen other schools make such a claim until proof of their racial slurs came out. Barring a recording or a confession by one of the players, this is Harrisburg's story and they're sticking to it. The he said/she said nature of the allegations of racial slurs doesn't need to be resolved. It is clear that Harrisburg failed the test of character also.
The Seton-Harrisburg game was as ugly as it gets; it was a failure by all involved. The game featured multiple technical fouls, a player making physical contact with an official, and an atmosphere so tense and so inappropriate for a high school game that the Illinois High School Association, the state governing body, threatened to stop the game at halftime unless the teams improved their conduct. Quite frankly, stopping the game would have been the gutsiest move of the year, but maybe the IHSA should have stopped it. See Illinois State Championship Game Marred by Allegations of Racism by Ben Rohrbach, Yahoo Sports Prep Rally, March 13, 2013; and Investigations Ongoing After Allegations Of Racial Slurs Taint Seton-Harrisburg Final by Bob Narang and John Keilman, Chicago Tribune, March 12, 2013.
There is one final note to all this - and it goes to character also: after being involved in an ugly incident, do you think anybody owned up to any misconduct? Oh no! That would be asking too much. Harrisburg denied and denied. Seton, though, couldn't deny. After all, their absence from the awards ceremony is on film. So, who do you blame when you show no character? That’s right, Seton blamed the referees; that’s the modern day equivalent of the old saying, “It’s not my fault; the devil made me do it.”
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Bethlehem, PA - February 23, 2013 - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Mayor Shows Poor Sportsmanship – And Gets Ejected From Youth Wrestling Match. See Bethlehem Mayor Ejected From Wrestling Tourney For Bad Behavior, Reported by Associated Press and Dan Stamm, NBC TV 10, Philadelphia, PA, Feb. 26, 2013; and See Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan's Ejection From Wrestling Tournament Handled Properly, Official Says, reported by Brad Wilson, Lehighvalleylive.com, February 23, 2013. Because politics are involved, the official actually got an apology from the Mayor. See Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan Apologizes to Wrestling Referee who Ejected Him, reported by Lynn Olanoff, Lehighvalleylive.com, February 25, 2013.
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Grand Forks, ND - February 22, 2013 - Students Wear KKK Outfits To Hockey Game On "White Out" Night. Talk about unclear on the concept: Three students from North Dakota's Red Fork High School decided to wear KKK hoods and sheets to support their school at the State hockey semifinals. Red Fork was engaging in a "white out", where all of their fans bedazzle the opposition by wearing white. Somehow three students decided that KKK sheets and hoods were, well, "white" (and the KKK sheets are, indeed, literally and symbolically white) and that wearing them would be an appropriate display of team spirit. Go figure. The KKK clad boys probably bore no racial animus toward their opponents. Their opponents weren't black to the best of my knowledge. There's no indication that the students were from a white student group or white supremacist group. Heck, North Dakota is only 1.3% black so a white supremacist would be hard pressed to find black folks to lord it over. This is probably a combination of teenage boys being incredibly dense combined with them thinking that this was socially appropriate. That probably won't make any black people happy; after all, members of any ethnic group are entitled to wonder why anybody could think it okay to gratuitously insult them with a historically offensive symbol of an entity that killed the members of that group. Apologies will likely be forthcoming, but don't hold your breath for answers as to why the students thought this was okay. See High School Students Wear KKK Outfits To Hockey Game by Alyssa Newcomb, ABC News, February 24, 2013. For a photo of the fans, see Hockey Fans Shown Wearing KKK-Style Hoods To State Semifinal by Dan Loumena, Los Angeles Times, February 24, 2013.
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Haverhill, NH - E-Brawl At New Hampshire Basketball Game. Over 200 students engaged in a brawl at a New Hampshire High School game. The brawl was a spillover from a fight between Haverhill and Methuen High School students three days earlier. The link between the two fights was a three day Twitter war between the schools' students that pretty much led everybody to know that a fight would occur at the basketball game. In fact, all the e-activity alerted the local police, who were out in greater numbers than usual. Unfortunately, the police were outnumbered by students who had their minds set on fighting - and fight they did until the police called for backup and arrested seven students. See Basketbrawl: 200 In Melee After Methuen-Haverhill Game: 7 Arrested After Fans Exchange Taunts, Punches by Mike LaBella, Haverhill Eagle Tribune, February 21, 2013.
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Detroit, MI - February 7, 2013 - Bottle Thrown On Court, Ref Assaulted in Low Moment For Detroit’s Academy of Southfield. The game took place at Winan’s Performing Arts High School. The FoxSports news report quotes a police officer who says that the game was cancelled. It was likely either postponed or deemed a forfeit win for Winan’s, but there’s no information on that. The quoted police officer says that nobody was hit by the bottle that was thrown on the court, but the referee was “pushed around.” See Ref Assaulted During Prep Game in Detroit reported by Dave Dye, FoxSports Detroit, February 8, 2013.
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Lauderdale Cty, FL – February 4, 2013 - Another “What Was He Thinking?” Moment. Lauderdale County High School Football Coach Bob Grisham went ballistic while teaching a psychology class, telling his students that he didn’t “believe in queers” and calling First Lady Michelle Obama a “fat butt.” Grisham may have survived this oddly disturbing moment in 1973, but in 2013 everything is filmed or recorded by somebody. Grisham was recorded, and school officials viewed the film. The school officials had little choice but to suspend Grisham, and they did. This odd Grisham moment will likely be on youtube soon, and it’s just one more moment that makes you wonder how some of these very strange and disturbed people are coaching and teaching our kids. See High School Football Coach Suspended Over Anti-Gay Remarks by Katie McDonough, Salon.com, February 5, 2013.
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Camas, WA - January 22, 2013 - Bad Sport or Bad Luck? Washington dad posts Facebook wish that his basketball rival’s high school gets shot up. This sounds pretty bad. However, my guess is that many of the flagrantly offensive Facebook statements of today are the private, stupid comments that people made in years gone by. People probably don't mean their stupid Facebook comments to be taken literally. Some stupid Facebook comments may simply be the product of people getting really comfortable and treating a very public forum as if it were a private forum. This dad may be stupid, but he probably doesn't literally hope for a mass shooting at a high school simply because he doesn't like the basketball team. I'll bet that the stupid dad is probably the most embarrassed dad in Washington right now. See Angry Dad Sends Facebook Wish For Shooting At Camas High School, Prompting Police Investigation by Everton Bailey, Jr., The Oregonian, January 23, 2013.
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Chicago, IL - January 16, 2013 - Post-Game Shooting At Chicago High School Basketball Game. A post-game handshake dispute in a game between Morgan Park High School and national powerhouse Simeon was followed by a parking lot brawl, leading to a shooting of seventeen year old Tyrone Lawson, a student who was shot in the back as he tried to get as far away from the dispute as he could. This incident wasn't entirely isolated - although Lawson was flat out unlucky. There was a stabbing at a football game between the two schools in September. Inner city rivalries are tough everywhere; in Chicago, these rivalries occur in a city with an extremely high homicide rate. Worse, athletic contests are no safe haven, and police have not been the deterrent that they are in some other cities. Chicago high school rivalries can be a security nightmare. See Teen Shot After High School Game: 'His Mom Thought He Was Safe." by Naomi Nix and Patrick Svitek, Chicago Tribune, January 18, 2013; and Teen Killed After Basketball Game; 2 Arrested, WGN TV, January 19, 2013.
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Amherst, MA –January 14, 2013. Coach Allegedly Orders Player To “Take Out” Rival Coach. Yes, you read it right. Amherst Regional High School Assistant Coach Eric Wheeler allegedly ordered a player to intentionally run into the opposing coach to knock him down because the opposing coach allegedly strayed from his coaching box too often. This is a first: a coach allegedly ordering the physical punishment of a rival coach because the rival coach stood in the wrong sideline area. See Amherst Regional High School Basketball Player: Coach Told Me To "Take Out" South Hadley Coach by Jay King, Springfield Republican, January 16, 2013.
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Chicago, IL - January 11, 2013 - Huge Fight At Chicago Basketball Game Strikes Close To Home. I grew up three blocks away from South Shore High School, which was the scene of what the local TV Station called a "melee." Undoubtedly, it was. Players started fighting, then spectators started fighting, and soon everything went out of control to the point that several people were arrested. There's two ways to look at sports violence in Chicago. First, one could conclude that this is the least of Chicago's problems since they had 500 murders last year. Two, one could conclude that this is indicative of Chicago's problems. It's probably more the former than the latter. Spectator violence rears its ugly head everywhere these days, and it doesn't matter if you're on the South Side of Chicago or out in the suburbs. Indeed, when we say the South Side of Chicago it sounds tough. But, the South Side of Chicago is bigger than most large Cities so it has its good, its bad, and its ugly. South Shore is probably more middle than bad. This fight was probably just a typical, ugly sports fight and not a reflection on the "South Side" of Chicago. Still, I don't think I'd have wanted to be in the gym for this one. See Cops Break Up Melee At High School Basketball Game, CBS TV Channel 2, January 11, 2013; and Fight At High School Basketball Game Ends In Arrests, Fox TV Channel 32, January 12, 2013..
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Roseville, CA – January 8, 2013 - Strange Coaching Abuse Case in Roseville, CA. This one’s odd. Francis Ngissah, a 24-year old man, somehow opened an international boarding school (CCSE Preparatory Academy) out of his own home. The school appears to have been a one-man shop, serving as a basketball factory, and Ngissah allegedly engaged in odd, sadistic physical abuse. Ngissah allegedly put clothes pins on students’ nipples, and zip tied their hands and feet to punish them. It’s not clear how long the abuse went on, but it came to light when the players had enough and went to the police. See Students Allege Bizarre Abuse At Roseville Basketball Academy, KXTV Channel 10, Sacramento, CA, January 10, 2013; and Roseville Prep Academy Coach Arrested For Physical Abuse, Fox-40 TV, Sacramento, CA, January 10, 2013.
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Rome - January 4, 2013 - In the last two years, we've seen racist chants mar athletic contests in matches ranging from high school basketball all the way to professional soccer. A.C. Milan's Kevin-Prince Boateng may have found a possible solution: just don't play. Boateng reacted to racist chants from a hostile crowd in Lombard, Italy by kicking the ball into the stands and then joining his teammates in walking off the field. Now, we have to acknowledge that Boateng's act occurred in a friendly, meaning the stakes weren't high. It may be tougher to walk off during a game where a team is disqualified in a loss. Also, storming off the field in protest in a case where the fans aren't making monkey calls may not have the same impact as Boateng's protest. The line between protesting over the top racial animus and simply not enjoying a hostile crowd is probably not a very thin line. Thus, the burden must be removed from Boateng and other players. Eventually, a player will leave a contest under less than sympathetic circumstances if we place the onus of correcting fan behavior onto players. Hence, the burden must be placed on game administrators. Game administrators must assume the burden that Boateng properly assumed, and they must do it from the low level CYO games to the high level pro games. That burden consists of more than removing fans and temporarily stopping games. Fans must be educated so they know that their role is to cheer positively for their team, not to indulge themselves in hostile conduct toward the other team. If we continue to license negative fan behavior, and then only crack down when the negative behavior crosses some line, we really put fans in a bind. They are essentially being told to be negative - just not in a racial way or some other way. It is better - but far more difficutl - to simply eliminate negative fan behavior. Of course, that's unlikely to happen, and if it doesn't at least we can get rid of the racist monkey chants which marred this game, and the "n" word chants that have marred some high school games over the past few years. See Boatering Makes Racism Walkout Vow, CNN, January 4, 2013.
