Fights, racial slurs force MS Coast youth basketball program to cancel 2023 season
A Mississippi Coast youth basketball program has canceled games and tournaments for the rest of the season after the players were subjected to a string of fights, harassment and racial slurs.
St. Martin Youth Basketball decided to cancel the season after consulting with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, the program said on Facebook.
The closing ceremony has also been canceled due to safety concerns.
“This past weekend, there were different instances in which coaches, parents, board members, officials and children had to witness physical altercations, verbal altercations, harassment, and racial slurs that ultimately created an unsafe environment for our youth to play,” the league said in a statement.
The youth basketball league plays games at St. Martin Middle School and St. Martin Upper Elementary. They rent the facilities from the Jackson County School District.
There were games scheduled at the middle school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, and others scheduled at the Upper Elementary gym.
Marcia Hill, public information officer for the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, said deputies responded to a fight in the parking lot on Saturday morning. Four to five people were involved, Hill said, and no weapons were found and no arrests were made. Hill couldn’t say if the fight was related to the basketball games.
The school resource officer was made aware of the issues at the games but wasn’t involved with them, Hill said.
The league said they hope to play basketball again when they “can again compete at a level of excellence worthy of our reputation, in a safe and healthy environment.”
The post from the youth league has been shared nearly 100 times on social media, with many parents expressing outrage over the behavior of some adults at the games.
“This is horrible, horrible, horrible,” one parent said. “It’s supposed to be (a)bout the kids.”
This story was originally published March 1, 2023 at 1:52 PM.
