A parent and youth referee quarrel during a basketball game over the weekend descended into a major brawl on the court, and the entire thing was caught on camera with the Fort Wayne, Indiana fight video viral
What has been the story?
Over the weekend, a juvenile basketball game in Indiana descended into chaos when a spectator appeared to start fighting with the official.
According to WANE-TV, the incident happened in Fort Wayne during a match between Team Robinson 2027-PINK and the Michigan Bluewater Hurricanes at the Gym Rats Basketball Tournament. A parent appeared to be walking down to the court to spar with the referee in a video of the brawl that was shared on social media.
The players, who were reportedly in the eighth grade, observed and made an attempt to break up the fight. Later, the two were separated by other spectators at the game. According to reports, the man with the hat who approached the referee was a parent of a Michigan team member.
Parent and youth basketball referee fight during game in Fort Wayne Indiana, video goes viral
The altercation took place on Saturday at the SportONE Parkview Fieldhouse in Fort Wayne, Indiana. As you can see in the video, a spectator got up from his seat to speak with the referee during a game involving young children. The two looked to be speaking for a while before the man abruptly started punching the referee. The referee then attempted a takedown, fired, and got a double leg before throwing the parent to the ground.
Right here in Fort Wayne Indiana. Why is it ok to attack a official? When is it going to stop? This is why we don’t have officials! pic.twitter.com/NmF4cB7eiS
— Jeff Lytle (@jefflytle_37) May 21, 2023
Once they landed on the hardwood, the fighting didn’t stop; the men carried on, jockeying for position. Fortunately, onlookers intervened to stop it all. Witnesses told WANE 15 that the parent was then led outside and never came back. What initially started the argument is unknown.
The referee was connected to the Northeastern Indiana Officials Association, according to Joe Rudolph, president, on WPTA-TV in Indianapolis. According to reports, the man was led from the arena and never came back. Apparently, Team Robinson won 48-7, according to WPTA-TV.
The venue has been contacted for comment, but we have not heard back as of yet. Police were not called to the scene, according to representatives for the Allen County Sheriff’s Department and the Fort Wayne Police Department.