The day’s events at the Nike EBYL girls’ basketball tournament in Louisville were cancelled this afternoon because of this:
UPDATE: A reminder that thousands of middle- and high-school girls have been spending the weekend at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center for the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (or EYBL) tournament.
And some asshole has put everyone in danger. My son and I were driving up to the parking lot, when we were told there was an “active aggressor” warning, and everyone was told to leave. As we waited, we saw hundreds of girls with their teams leaving the area.
There wasn’t a mad rush, but over the next few minutes, police cars with blaring sirens were zipping by us, and helicopters were hovering over the Expo Center.
My nephew’s daughter’s team was about to start their game when the tournament was evacuated. She and her team are fine and headed back to their hotels.
But because of the mentality that pervades this nation, another public event is disrupted by some idiot incel who’s inadequate as a human being (I’m making the assumption that it’s a guy, because it pretty much always is).
So, what does this mean for the tournament?
- No idea if games will resume. It’s supposed to go until Monday and most of the teams will be heading to Chicago for another tournament scheduled for next week.
- Security will be heightened. What struck me as encouraging when I attended the tournament Friday was the fact I could go into the building and not have to deal with bag searches and metal detectors. That’s definitely over now.
- When the tournament was announced, WDRB television said: “The largest girls’ basketball tournament in the country is tipping off in Louisville — and it’s delivering more than just jump shots. Organizers say this year’s Run 4 Roses tournament series is expected to bring nearly $60 million in economic impact to the city, making it one of the most significant annual events in Kentucky outside the Derby. The back-to-back tournaments, which began July 8 and run through July 21, include the Roses Rising, Run 4 Roses Classic, Run 4 Roses Championship, and The Splash, along with a boys’ tournament called the Grassroots Championship.” That’s a big deal and the city is going to have to determine how to prevent incidents from happening at events like this in the future.
The local newspaper has this update on the situation:
Louisville Metro Police officials said no shots were fired at the Kentucky Exposition Center July 13, where police were investigating reports of an “active aggressor.”
No shooting victims have been found at the Expo Center, LMPD officials said in a social media post around 4 p.m. The Run 4 Roses basketball tournament has ended for the day, as Expo Center officials are not allowing reentry into the building.
“All persons on the property, please calmly exit while LMPD continues their sweep of the building,” officials with the Expo Center posted on X just after 4 p.m.
LMPD officials stated officers would be moving traffic off the Expo Center property, and that heavy traffic should be expected.
LMPD spokesperson Aaron Ellis said in a statement additional updates would be posted to the department’s X page.
So, the mystery continues. What does active aggressor mean? Is anyone in custody? Why do we have to keep putting up with this?
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