Brawl Erupts at Indiana Girls Travel Tournament
Things began to unravel at the end of the first quarter between the teams Baylor Basketball and Indiana Elite, the report stated. After the Baylor coach was given a technical foul for arguing with the official, the coach left the court with the rest of her team following.
While the team was leaving the court, an official was still arguing with the Baylor coach. A spectator holding a phone in hand interjected themselves into the argument, and, according to a video of the incident, the official knocked the phone out of the spectator’s hand, which ignited the fight.In the video, it shows one of the players trying to get a swing in, and the official swung back at the player — a child — in retaliation.
The fight escalated into an on-court brawl with more people taking part, with the official getting body-slammed by the spectator whose phone was knocked out of his hand.
Video of the incident, shown below, went viral. The video is dubbed over in a mocking sports show-style.
There’s Nothing Like Indiana AAU Basketball pic.twitter.com/leBnsscvbE
— Mantis (@YoungMantis2) April 12, 2021
The Pacers Athletic Center released a statement to The Indianapolis Star saying that all “involved parties” were removed from the remainder of the tournament and would not be allowed to come back to the facility for future events.
“We are disappointed that this altercation happened, as we strive to provide a great experience for families. We take the safety of our staff, referees, players, and spectators seriously… and there is no place for this kind of behavior in youth sports,” the Pacers Athletic Center said to the IndyStar.