A Pittsburgh-area high school basketball game on Feb. 3 turned ugly when fans wearing banana outfits made monkey sounds toward black players, according to Yahoo Sports.
The annual game between the rivals — primarily white Pittsburgh Brentwood High and predominantly black Monessen High — turned ugly when the players were heading to the locker rooms at halftime. Three fans dressed in banana suits ran onto the court, surrounded the Monessen players and began making monkey noises and hurling racial epithets.
"I was appalled and shocked," Monessen parent Terri Payne told WPXI. "I was like, 'I can't believe they're doing that, and they didn't do anything about it.' "
Some of the Monessen players also claimed that they were called "monkeys" and "cotton pickers" by the opposing team.
The three students responsible for the act have reportedly been disciplined, but their punishment has not been disclosed. The school has also yet to identify the players who the Monessen team members claimed said racial slurs.
When an event of this magnitude occurs, officials should do more than suspend the three students who wore the outfits; they should consider seriously whether the offending team's entire season should be canceled.
Read more at Yahoo Sports.
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