Parents attending a basketball game sponsored by the Catholic Youth Organization could face a time-out after a violent fight broke out in New York and was caught on video.
The brawl last month in Staten Island occurred during a Catholic Youth Organization 6th-grade boys game between St. Teresa and Saint Clare schools, according to NBC New York. The fracas led league officials to announce new policies for those attending games, including banning some unruly spectators.
“The video, obtained by the Staten Island Advance and confirmed by Catholic Youth Organization sports officials, shows the moms go head-to-head in an all-out fist fight. More spectators joined in, some continuing the brawl while others tried to break it up,” the outlet reported.
GAMEDAY MELTDOWN: Footage captures two mothers clutching each other by the hair and throwing a barrage of punches during a violent courtside fight at a Catholic youth basketball game in Staten Island, New York.
The two women, along with the family members who became involved,… pic.twitter.com/gRWMRFYZQ9
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 15, 2026
Evidently, the fight began with two women who were parents of students playing in the game. Others, including their family members, soon joined in as the brawl grew in size.
CYO County Director Michael Neely explained that the women and members of their families have been indefinitely barred from attending any other games sponsored by the organization.
“Two families got involved and, in the end, their families have been banned from CYO indefinitely,” Neely said, according to SILive.
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella addressed the incident as he announced new guidelines, saying, “CYO is no longer gonna tolerate fights that just ruin it and crush it for kids.”
“There were kids on the court crying because they didn’t know what was happening, the game had to come to an end, and these kids suffer,” he said.
(Video Credit: NBC New York)
“The mission was about the kids,” Fossella said during a press conference. “The mission was about teaching them responsibility. The mission was about them having a good time: the kids. The kids are the center of this universe here. And every once in a while, some spectators get out of control and ruin it for the kids and ruin it for everybody else.”
“Fossella announced new guidelines for the dozens of locations that host CYO sports across Staten Island. If a spectator is removed by a referee for any reason, they will now be banned from all games for a year. If they’re warned twice or are engaged in a physical fight, they will be banned for life,” NBC New York reported.
“CYO sports officials say that while ‘bad behavior’ comes from a small percentage of parents, in recent years, it’s become harder to recruit referees and coaches for the roughly 4,000 students who participate in CYO sports teams,” the outlet added.
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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