No matter what sport or game you’re playing, there’s always someone out there who has the propensity to take things far too seriously. That’s exactly what happened recently in a pickleball doubles match, where one of the losing members of the duo “sucker-kicked” his opponent right in the face. The shocking incident was captured on camera and was shared to various social media platforms, including Reddit, and takes place during a pickleball tournament in Mexico. Even though the 44-second video clip is brief, it captures the violent attack.
Right off the bat, the snippet of footage kicks things off with the end of a pickleball match with all four players approaching the net to shake hands in a typical display of good sportsmanship and fair play. One of the players on the winning team, donned in green with a creme baseball cap is allegedly called Peter Shonk, and he yells, “F***, yeah!” in triumph over his team’s victory.
However, things quickly take a turn for the worse as it seems that Shonk accidentally knocks the pickleball racket out of his opponent’s hand while shaking hands. In a welcome display of etiquette, Shonk attempts to pick up the racket that his opponent dropped onto the court, but it’s here when his opponent loses his cool and targets his rival.
While Shonk is bent over the net attempting to retrieve the racket for his opponent, his rival sees this as a perfect opportunity to kick him in the face. The target of the attack falls to the ground, taking the net with him as the crowd at the event react in shock to the violent act.
The awful display of poor sportsmanship is making its way around various social media platforms right now, and as expected, the internet is not pleased with the aggressor’s dreadful behavior. One of the most up-voted comments over on Reddit takes aim at the attacker’s unsportsmanlike conduct:
I was not aware it is possible to be “sucker-kicked“
wheelie_dog
Another commenter reminded everyone that the man’s unsportsmanlike attack was a crime and that the police will have to be involved, writing, “He’s going to be in a pickle when the cops come.”
Elsewhere, a third user weighed in emphasising how peculiar it is getting so competitive over what many perceive to be as a way of relaxing and getting in some exercise while you’re at it, penning: “Imagine getting this upset over a game invented for 80 year olds who can’t play tennis anymore.“
It’s unclear from the footage whether the police were called to the scene, but it’s very likely that’s what occurred. Clearly, the aggressor was completely out of line for his unsporting and violent conduct, and it’s embarrassing witnessing that kind of aggression over such a trivial matter, especially in a “laidback” sport like pickleball. Thankfully, Shonk “wasn’t seriously injured“, according to a post from TheKitchenPickleball over on Instagram. Adding some additional context to the situation, Shonk shared the following:
It occurred after championship point from a tournament this weekend and the man that was assaulted, Peter Shonk, shared this video with us to post and wants everyone to know that he is ok.
thekitchenpickleball
Luckily, Shonk walked away without harm, though the footage is undoubtedly shocking and vile behavior that should not be tolerated.
