Footage which allegedly shows a coach attacking a referee during a youth basketball game in the United States has gone viral, attracting more than 1.2 million views in the hours after it was uploaded in the latest instance of violence to mar youth sports in America.
Specific details as to the incident remain scant but the viral clip shows a heated confrontation on the basketball court between a match official and another man described online as being a coach of one of the two youth teams playing in the game.
The eight-second clip then captures the supposed coach violently throttling the referee as several bystanders unsuccessfully attempt to pry his grip from the referee's neck.
The attacker is then punched on the right side of his head by a person coming to the aid of the official.
Shocked onlookers can be heard exclaiming their shock at the incident – a reaction matched by many of the people who viewed the clip as it went viral on social media.
"Totally unacceptable," wrote one person in response to the video. "I witnessed a grown man just the other day going at it with kids in the stands.
"They should have ask him to leave right away l before this kind of thing happened. Let the kids enjoy their time their time their time."
"Just a damn shame, adults making it more about them instead of the kids," said another.
"Unacceptable," agreed another. "What example are we showing these kids with this kind of behavior? As adults we must lead by example. Not escalate a situation. Just sad."
The video clip is the latest example of of violence capturing on film at youth sports games in the United States.
Last April, similar footage appeared online from a Indiana girls travel basketball game which showed a spectator rush on to the court to attack a referee, body-slamming the official to the ground in the process.
Another incident last month captured footage of a youth player being knocked unconscious by an opponent after offering a post-game handshake.
Some such scenes, though, are accidental – particularly one from 2019, during which a college basketball player punched a referee in a celebration gone wrong.
These types of scenes also make their way to the pros. NBA icon LeBron James received just the second ejection of his near two-decade career in late 2021 after he became involved in a violent clash with rival Isaiah Stewart, of the Detroit Pistons.