“People Are Acting Like Zombies”: Viral Video of Bloody Kentucky Derby Brawl Leads to Brutal Reactions From Sports World

The first Saturday of May this year witnessed the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby. The Run for the Roses has always experienced unparalleled enthusiasm from its fans. An audience gathers from all around the world, with people booking their place at the Derby well in advance so that they don’t miss out.

The Kentucky Derby is more than a horserace, it’s a full-fledged festival. There’s drinking, betting, and many other events organized for the Derby fans to indulge in. While things are bound to get a bit too exciting with people attending the race in enormous numbers, this year’s race astonished everyone with the absolute mayhem that took place.

The 149th Kentucky Derby turned into a bloodbath

Members of the crowd present at this year’s race indulged in more than just betting and drinking. A video of this year’s Kentucky Derby has been making rounds on social media, and it is macabre and horrifying. The video shows a brutal brawl that broke out at Churchill Downs during the race.

The Derby is the last place one would expect such a rowdy fight to break out. Moreover, the juxtaposition of people dressed to the nines in their most sophisticated clothes, and then engaging in a primal fight such as this is truly staggering. What’s even more shocking is that in the video, a man appears to have lost an eye. Since the video is blurry and grainy, that part is neither confirmed nor denied yet.

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The clip shows two men facing off while being restrained by the nearby crowd as well as some race officials. One of these men tried to clock the other one in the face, while the other one already has a severely bloodied eye. Fights are a common occurrence, especially in contact sports such as NFL or NHL. However, in an elite equestrian event, they’re completely unexpected. The viral nature of the clip has prompted many to comment with their views, and you’ll want to read them.

Netizens react to the bloody Derby fight

Steven Crowder, the American-Canadian commentator, shared the video on his official Facebook account. As soon as the clip started circulating, comments started rolling in. One viewer was especially flabbergasted by the unrefined behavior of the attendants of the Kentucky Derby. The viewer commented, “What’s going on with people? Is the left putting drugs in the water supply now, gee past few yrs, people are acting like zombies, something is happening”. Another comment described the fight in the perfect manner, saying, “Sophisticated brawling.”

Someone considered the video to be a validation of their aversion to crowds, and said, “This is why I make it a goal to be around as few people as humanly possible.” Another wrote a comment so sarcastic, it could probably win the global award for sarcasm, if there was one, and said, “Alcohol makes you smarter. Especially in large quantities.” Someone also had a hilarious, and probably unhelpful, solution to the problem at hand. They wrote, “Should have just dueled it out.” All the bone-tickling comments apart, to call the gruesome brawl petrifying, would not be a far stretch.

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