AAU players pound refs with fists

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/dnp-dnp-massive-brawl-erupts-players-officials-aau-basketball-game-163640876.html

Watch both videos. Almost impossible to believe. Criminal charges might even result from this.

The problem with the video is that it begins with the ref on the floor. You cannot see what triggered this.

One of the coaches states that it was the ref who initiated the fight.

But video shows an ugly and chaotic scene.

It does not make any difference what triggered it. Teams CANNOT attack refs. Full stop.

After the other refs enter to stop the fight, it continues with them. So are we saying ALL the refs had it out for all the players?

Team should be suspended for the rest of the season. You cannot have this kind of stuff. That big kid on the white team should have a one year AAU suspension.

mrkleen09 wrote:It does not make any difference what triggered it.  Teams CANNOT attack refs.  Full stop.

After the other refs enter to stop the fight, it continues with them.  So are we saying ALL the refs had it out for all the players?

Team should be suspended for the rest of the season.  You cannot have this kind of stuff.  That big kid on the white team should have a one year AAU suspension.

From the other articles on this, it sounds like the tone was set from the coach where he tries to intimidate refs from the beginning of games. Doesn't seem like someone who should be leading a team.

If you have ever attended one of these AAU tournaments you would also say that it is pretty good that such an attack on refs does not happen at every one of them.

These events promote the ultimate prima donna attitude so much that it is quite sickening. Players are basically paid to play with the recruiting, clothing, pampering and few rules, flying all over the country, coaches all think that they are coaching in the seventh game of the NBA finals and if they win they will get a million dollar contract, college recruiters wandering about sporting their school's colors, sponsors think that they are owners, fans/parents are trying to live their lives through the careers of their kids (fights in the stands are very common), etc, etc- A TOTAL MESS.

About the only thing that AAU basketball gives kids is that they do get to play ball against better players than they would at the local park back home, but I am not sure that the trade off is worth it.

The AAU system has huge flaws and there have been numerous conversations about whether it should even exist.. For inner city kids it gives them a place to go and play against competition. My problem with it is that it is not always the every day kid who gets a chance to play, they pick and choose who they want, mostly the "studs" and the rest sit at the end of the bench and never see game time or they just don't make the team at all.

This incident is disgusting. The ref's are just as much at fault as the kids. Aren't they the adults on the floor?
What an example of what is wrong in sports

mrkleen09 wrote:It does not make any difference what triggered it.  Teams CANNOT attack refs.  Full stop.

After the other refs enter to stop the fight, it continues with them.  So are we saying ALL the refs had it out for all the players?

Team should be suspended for the rest of the season.  You cannot have this kind of stuff.  That big kid on the white team should have a one year AAU suspension.

I agree to disagree. If a ref got angry and walk up to a player and attacked him and that player responded in kind who started the fight?

I am not condoning what happened but the facts are not clear. It is quite possible that both sides are to blame not necessarily equally.

I am sure there will be an investigation and the guilty party or parties should be held to account.

We will not know what really happened for a while yet. Rumors abound.

But still . . .

dboss wrote:

I agree to disagree.  If a ref got angry and walk up to a player and attacked him and that player responded in kind who started the fight?

I have read multiple accounts, including one from the opposing coach that say this video misses the lead up - that someone on the white team was ejected and he bumped the ref from behind and then took a swing at him.

RosalieTCeltics wrote:The AAU system has huge flaws and there have been numerous conversations about whether it should even exist..  For inner city kids it gives them a place to go and play against competition. My problem with it is that it is not always the every day kid who gets a chance to play, they pick and choose who they want, mostly the "studs" and the rest sit at the end of the bench and never see game time or they just don't make the team at all.  

This incident is disgusting. The ref's are just as much at fault as the kids. Aren't they the adults on the floor?
What an example of what is wrong in sports

My kid played AAU ball 2 years ago, was a great experience for him, he didn’t think he was good enough, went against city kids, I told him just have fun and the experience really helped him, it’s not that bad from our experience.

mrkleen09 wrote:

dboss wrote:

I agree to disagree.  If a ref got angry and walk up to a player and attacked him and that player responded in kind who started the fight?

I have read multiple accounts, including one from the opposing coach that say this video misses the lead up - that someone on the white team was ejected and he bumped the ref from behind and then took a swing at him.

That should be entered into evidence. The video as I pointed out is not a full record of what transpired.

It was a horrible scene.