Maybe Somebody Can Finally Figure Out How to End Storming Court, Field

After Duke player is injured in a court-storming at Wake Forest, big call to end it under way

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
Feb 25, 2024 9:15 PM EST

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Somebody may finally figure out how to stop this stupid craze of fans storming on the basketball court or football field after a win. Exactly how it's continued to go on this long is head-shaking all by itself. Some Arkansas fans will be disappointed

After Razorback fans rushed the football field after beating the Texas Longhorns in 2011, it cost money. That amount has gone up with storming the basketball court after wins over Auburn and Duke the last few years. It's gotten more expense every time, which is just being passed on to the fans.

Now national media folks are calling for it to end. Pat Forde at SI.com had a column on the time being now for somebody to make the penalties high enough to deter things. He's absolutely correct on this one.

Even ESPN has jumped on seeing how it can go wrong. While it's good for a few views, it took knocking down a Duke basketball player with a resulting trip for medical attention to get everybody else to notice. It's past time college athletics hasn't acted way before now.

Razorback fans celebrating win over Duke in November 2023 — Arkansas Razorbacks fans rushed the court after a win over the Duke Blue Devils on Nov. 29, 2023, at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark.
Michael Morrison / allHOGS Images

This doesn't go on in pro sports. A couple of times, the Arkansas officials have actually just turned their heads and told security to just let 'em go. They are the ones that could end up with blood on their hands and an expensive lawsuit on their desk of one thing goes wrong.

The possibilities for how badly that could end up are too bad to think about, particularly now when it hasn't happened. It's all fun and games until somebody gets seriously injured or worse. It can be deadly serious faster than anybody can really imagine and the law of averages says it's coming sooner rather than later.

If they are trying to find financial ways to pass the cost of doing it to others, that's obviously got a ceiling on it sooner or later. The costs now may be near the ceiling and is doomed to crash. It's a responsibility where law enforcement can stop this faster than anybody else.

Don't count on the security. They don't really have any sort of deterrence other than trying to look scary on occasion. They have to call for law enforcement assistance with anything serious now. Look at pro teams. That doesn't happen.

I've seen officers on horseback, guys with funs and nightsticks nearly circling the field. That's how you stop it. That's probably the only way to do it that would work. Just because you bought a ticket to the game doesn't give you the right to go running onto the field or court.

It's time to quit waiting on conferences or other organizing bodies to take responsibility for what each school should be able to handle themselves. The time is now before something that money can't fix happens.