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In Vietnam, football is the most popular sport played by the locals. Other well-known games in Vietnam are badminton, volleyball, bicycling, wrestling, dominoes, and chess, which are widely enjoyed by the locals. Vietnam has participated in the Olympic games with entries for swimming and water sports, rowing, canoeing, track and field, and table tennis.
Sport is a system of activities that requires physical athleticism and physical adeptness. A set of rules or observance usually controls it, to make sure that competitions are played reasonably allow consistent refereeing of the winner. Successful winners are the ones who score more goals than their opponents or crossing the line first. It can also be decided by judges who are keeping scores to elements of the performance, including subjective or objective measures in terms of artistic impression or technical achievement.
Sports are intended to be a competitive event for athletes, but to some, it can be more than that. A wayward pitch in the Major League can lead to a big fight, while a hard foul in the NBA can trigger ill-tempered players to have a piece at their opponents. These events would usually result in unwanted big fights. Here are some of the biggest in-game brawls in sports.
The FIBA Philippines vs. Australia Brawl (2018)
One of the biggest brawls happened in the 2018 FIBA World Cup qualifiers in Manila between the Australian Boomers and Philippine National Team in July 2018. The trouble began when the Aussies removed a sponsor vinyl in the court venue. The act was on Philippine TV. Furthermore, Filipino player Calvin Abueva attempted to trip Aussie Daniel Kickert during the warmups. The game went to its ordinary course until the third quarter when Chris Goulding received a hard foul from Filipino Roger Pogoy, and then-teammate Kickert retaliated with a harder blow. The scuffle broke out between the two teams and lasted for a few minutes.
FIBA has made its sanctions after the incident that exploded between players, fans, and officials of the Philippines and Australia in their World Cup qualifier match. Thirteen players and two coaches got suspended for varying numbers of World Cup qualifiers for exhibiting unsportsmanlike behavior with a corresponding fee of a total 360,000 Swiss Francs (USD$ 359,746).
Indiana Pacers vs. Detroit Pistons (NBA 2004)
It started with an overreaction from Ben Wallace after an ordinary foul from Ron Artest. Ben then shoved Ron, and the man, also known as Metta World Peace, just walked away. Stephen Jackson joined the scene, searching for a fistfight among any Detroit Pistons player. A fan then threw a cup of beer at Ron, and that flipped the switch on him and retaliated by going after that fan. Players against players and fans against players. And that’s how the ‘Malice in the Palace’ came to be.
Miami Hurricanes vs. FIU Panthers (2006)
Less than ten miles apart, the University of Miami and Florida International University have many of the players from South Florida, metropolitan area. Most of the students of both schools grew up together in one area, thus creating a rivalry when they set foot on their choice of university. Just like when Marshall McDuffie of FIU kicks Miami holder Matt Perelli in the head while he was down on the ground, it sparked a scuffle between the rivalries.
Dayton Dragons vs. Peoria Chiefs (2008)
It all began when the managers met face to face in a heated argument. Peoria pitcher, Julio Castillo, throws the ball at the dugout but missed and hit a fan who and was taken to the hospital for treatment. The entire Dayton bench got fired up and went after Castillo. It was all chaos at that time.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues (1991)
The rivalry between the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks came down with the worst NHL game known as the “St. Patrick’s Day Massacre.” The fight between Scott Stevens and Dave Manson made it to the spotlight because the two hockey players continued hitting each other even when they were already down flat on the ice. The teams have received a fine of USD$10,000, and 12 people were thrown out of the game that night. Definitely, one of the unforgettable brawls in sports.
Texas Rangers vs. Chicago White Sox (1993)
Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan threw a wild ball at then 26-year-old Robin Ventura. This incident made Ventura very upset and charged Ryan at the mound. Ryan caught him in a headlock and unleashed rabbit punches on the White Sox player. But Ventura managed to turn things around and was able to pin Ryan down to the ground.
Denver Nuggets vs. New York Knicks (2006)
Mardy Collins gave JR Smith a nasty flagrant foul that started the brawl immediately. When the fight was about to end, Carmelo Anthony had other plans and threw a sucker punch. Seven players served their suspension for a total of 47 regular-season games.
Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees (2004)
One can already expect the biggest brawls in sports to occur between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees since their rivalry is well-known in Major League Baseball. More popular than their teams, is the competition between Alex Rodriguez and Bronson Arroyo. After Arroyo’s pitch hit A-Rod, the Yankees’ shortstop had some words to say to Arroyo that the Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek did not like. Rodriguez provoked Varitek by saying, “Come at me.” Varitek obliged by hitting A-Rod with his catcher’s mitt. Both benches went to the field, and everybody started punching one another.
Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers (1976)
As the captain of the Houston Rockets, Rudy Tomjanovich was trying to reach the melee when a surprise punch from Kermit Washington met him. Rudy was at the wrong place at the wrong time, and it was known as the “Punch.” He missed five months of playing, and his game has never fully recovered from the incident.
Jeff Gordon vs. Clint Bowyer (2012)
Clint Bowyer quickly went after Jeff Gordon when he got shoved in the wall during the race. The two NASCAR drivers got into the fight and caused a commotion.
San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
A big fight in baseball history occurred when catcher Johnny Roseboro unintentionally threw a ball at Juan Marichal. Marichal attacked Roseboro, and both benches followed. Roseboro received a stable suspension and fine.
Frank Francisco vs. Crowd
Frank Francisco had to get involved when racial slurs were yelled out. He threw a folding chair at the audience provoker, Craig Bueno, and ended up hurting Jennifer Bueno, Craig’s fiance. Francisco’s career is defined by how many real events he was involved in, and this made his image worse.
Eric Cantona vs. Crowd
France and Manchester United superstar Eric Cantona gave a flying kick to a Crystal Palace fan. He does this with no reason at all and remains a mystery what his motives are. He just flew into the crowd, punched and kicked the fan, and then he left. That alone is enough reason to make his behaviour as one of the mind-boggling brawls in sports' history.
Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks (1998)
Arch-rivals Miami Heat and the New York Knicks met in the 1998 NBA playoffs, something that had become a regular over the past years. In-Game 5 of their series, a scuffle between Knicks guard Larry Johnson and Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning had happened. All players from both teams, including Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy, rushed into the court. The coach hung onto Mourning’s leg and followed the Heat star everywhere to stop the fight. This incident was a massive brawl in the NBA, and both Van Gundy’s and Mourning’s careers are associated with this unforgettable fight.
Detroit Red Wings vs. Colorado Avalanche (1997)
One of the biggest brawls in sports is between the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche back in the year 1997.
It started with Game 6 of the previous season when Claude Lemieux checked Kris Draper into the wall. And when the two teams meet the following season, it ended up defining the careers of the players involved in the nine-fight scuffle.
When Igor Larionov and Pete Forsberg collided, a big fight suddenly erupted. Danny McCarthy then gave away combos of kicks, knees, and punches at Lemieux. This fight brought out the entire rosters of teams and led to a bloody brawl at the rink.
There were four more minor fights before the game concluded. The two players that started this brawl are Claude Lemieux, the player who initiated it all, and Danny McCarthy, the Red Wings enforcer, who took the lead in many of the plots.
Cause and Effect
Violence has never been the answer to any misunderstandings, especially in sports. But sometimes humans enjoy seeing or being involved in any altercations. We even pay a certain amount of money to watch people fight. The biggest in-game brawls in sports have led to adverse effects on the athletes and the whole organization. It involves suspensions, penalties, and a decrease in career value. It is always better to sort things out with the officials than hurting each other.
