Shortly after, the brawl ensued when the coach rushed the referees and was joined by his players in knocking the refs to the ground and beating them with their fists, feet, basketballs and even metal chairs. Both of the refs required medical treatment at a nearby hospital and filed criminal complaints against the coach and several of the players. An article in The Cincinnati Enquirer shortly after the incident said that many involved in amateur sports, while shocked by this latest incident, were not entirely surprised. Every day across America we see similar incidents displaying the loss of sportsmanship and respect for authority and opponents. Refs are verbally and physically assaulted, parents are sometimes excessive in the way they push their kids to be the best, coaches demand perfection from their players and punish them when they give anything less.
Children learn by example.
Turn on any Sunday football game to discover how easy it is to read the lips of irate coaches screaming at the refs and players. Open up the newspaper and read about the latest NBA brawl. It's not such a surprise. Incidents like NBA star Dennis Rodman head-butting a ref after being ejected and the late New York Yankee manager Billy Martin kicking dirt on umpires when arguing a call make a bad impression on kids who are watching. This type of misconduct should be dealt with seriously to provide an example for amateur athletes.