Last Monday Kansas State
students stormed the court after the Wildcats’ 70-63 upset victory over No. 8
Kansas. As students flooded the floor in jubilation, security was unable to
keep the crowd back before the players and coaches could shake hands and leave
the court.
The raucous led to Kansas
coach Bill Self being pinned against a press table, and assistant Kurtis
Townsend putting a fan in a headlock and attempting to get his players away
from the crowd. One KSU student has since been cited for disorderly conduct
after he appeared to intentionally make contact with Jayhawks’ player Jamari
Traylor while running onto the court (Axson, 2015).
The Big 12 Conference issued a public reprimand to Kansas State for its handling of the postgame events. League commissioner Bob Bowslby said the league will look into barring spectators from entering the field of play (Axson, 2015).
There has been further discussion of a blanket ban on court storming throughout the NCAA, the prospect of which has me torn. Rushing the floor following an upset can be among the most exciting parts of college basketball when done peaceably and with relative respect for the competitors.
But at times court storming has become excessive in its use. We have also seen the ritual become concerning—as was the case at Bramlage Coliseum last week—or downright disastrous as can been observed in the accompanying video from a matchup last year between Utah Valley and New Mexico State. It is a shame that it has come to this, but in my opinion the best option is to bar court storming from college basketball before someone gets seriously injured.
BY: Nate Pentecost
REFERENCES:
Axson, Scooby. (2015, March 1). Big 12 reprimands Kansas State for Court-Storming fans. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved from http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/02/26/big-12- reprimands-kansas-state
KSL Sports. (2015, March 1). Utah Valley Vs. New Mexico State Brawl. You Tube. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft28MXb1MCk
Amanda Notley
ReplyDeleteI feel that storming the court is a long held tradition that holds basketball to a different kind of hype than any other sport. There are a lot of individuals that believe that the practice of storming the court puts coaches and players at risk. This is to be held to a different opinion for everyone. I do not necessarily feel putting a ban on the practice of it is the best way to go about it. I feel that there should be some type better organized system than what exist but it should still be allowable. I think that each team should have certain rules and regulations about this type of scenario. One that may be very beneficial is that the players and coaches must be able to clear the court before the court is stormed. It can prevent any type of injury to the team and their staff. It could be a great way to keep the tradition alive but everyone safe.
Even though I have been following the NCAA during the last couple of years, this is the first time I have heard of a court storming. I totally agree with you when you say that court storming should be forbidden in any sport. Even though the intentions of most fans might be peaceful (at least that’s what it looks like on the picture), the risk storming creates is simply too high.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that has come to my mind while reading through your article were incidents of court storming as they have appeared in European soccer. Unfortunately, you hear frequent news of hooligans that storm soccer fields with the intention of attacking opposing players or officials. Here is a link of a storming, as happened a couple of years ago in an Austrian first division game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW9nXG6Qy18
Andreas Khuny
Andreas,
DeleteThanks for posting this example. I have heard a lot about hooligans at soccer games. The police presence in this game was unbelievable! I was under the impression that hooliganism was down in Europe. Is that true? I had to ask my niece to interpret what they were saying:-)
Dr. Spencer
I remember wanting to storm the court so badly when I attended basketball games as an undergrad student. When a game is so exciting and intense and ultimately ends in a victory, the last thing I want to do is slowly file out of the stadium. Unfortunately, I agree with Nate on storming the court. While it could be a harmless tradition that allows student and student-athletes to celebrate a great game together, there are too many risks that could cause serious injury or damages. If there was a way to regulate it I think that would be ideal. Still it would be difficult for security to control a large crowd filled with people who are either thrilled or extremely upset with the results of the game. It would be exciting to experience but some unfortunate situations have ruined the fun for the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteAllie McDavitt
Nate makes a good point when discussing the issue of court storming in collegiate basketball. The history of court storming has always held somewhat of a prestigious spot in the world on college basketball. This act used to be held for rivalry games and big match-ups, but it has gotten to a point where fans are storming the court multiple times a year and I think it has lost a lot of its luster.
ReplyDeleteBesides the historical value and importance of court storming, it is crucial to discuss and evaluate the safety issues involved in the act. Like the Kansas v Kansas State game discussed in this blog post, many schools find themselves in this predicament of what to do about the whole court storming issue. I strongly believe that this act needs to be banned before someone gets seriously hurt. Who knows what could have happened last week when the Kansas team was unable to get off the court before it was rushed by the student body. In such an intense rivalry, tensions run high and people go to the extremes. Someone could have been seriously harmed or attacked by patrons with ill will; therefore I think court storming should be banned in basketball.
Marissa Tashenberg
Quite frankly, I think this is an issue that can not be controlled. If a large group of people want to storm a court after a college basketball game, there will never be enough security personnel to stop them. With that being said, this is definitely a large safety issue in college athletics today. People can not only be trampled, but fans can get into altercations with opposing players and coaches just as the video above shows.
ReplyDeleteThe problem that lies with this becoming such a big issue is the fact that fan bases are doing it too often. For example, the Kansas-Kansas St. game that is referred to in the entry was absolutely no circumstance for the court to be rushed. Both teams were RANKED! Many publications have now come up with a list of "rules" for people to use when considering storming the court. Here is one that the Washington Post came out with last week.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2015/02/25/seven-simple-rules-for-storming-the-court/
Bonesteel, M. (2015, February 25). Seven simple rules for storming the court. Retrieved March 4, 2015, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2015/02/25/seven-simple-rules-for-storming-the-court/
Derek Shay
To get rid of storming the field would almost take away a part of the game the fans enjoy. The way to keep this tradition is to let the opposing team off the field or court first then let the students or fans store the field. I know many will say they can go somewhere else and enjoy the win, but for students or maybe I should say for me storming the court after a game was the only way I was going to step on the court at our school so if there was ever a win where I could storm the court I was 100% going to do it. Now as for the dangers of kids running onto a playing field it’s hard to stop but you cannot take this part away there is just too much history and enjoyment. I’ve never seen a person who was storming the court mad; they always look like they hit the lottery. Until then I will be watching for the next moment when a team who shouldn’t win beats an opponent and the kids storm the court because for most this is the best part of the game. Well other than winning
ReplyDeleteVincent Marshall
I think storming the court could provide fans opportunities to cheering with the team. I know storming the court is a traditional celebration in many schools when their team wins the competition. In addition, I do not think schools could prohibit the storming thing thoroughly, because the numbers of fans are too large to control when they get excited. But this activity truly causes potential safety dangers. When people crush toward the court, which may cause stepping incident, if anybody gets hurt in this activity, that is not the school’s expectation.
ReplyDeleteI think schools could put barriers or input more securities to ensure the safety of students and fans, and schools also need to double check with the facilities before the competition starts. Furthermore, the facility managers could prohibit fans and students to bring metal materials into stadiums.
--Veeco Zheng
I think storming the court holds apparent risk for player safety as well as fan safety. For the most part I have never seen any issues caused from storming the court. Its been a long held tradition that is good for the morale of the school and the team. However, as seen in this video there are concerns that can lead to putting people at risk. Overall, I don't think storming the court should be banned. I think its good for the people and more often than not it is carried out in a positive manner.
ReplyDeleteJonathan Robinson
Nate,
ReplyDeleteCourt storming is argued by some as privilege of the fans; something that can be done after winning a major championship or winning a "David-Goliath" type matchup. However, in this new age of safety, precaution, and sensibility, court storming has really become more of a nuisance for the facility managers in sports. People enter themselves in a high-risk situation for themselves, the athletes, and the other professionals near the court. It is an unruly scene, and although the moment may be remembered best for the pure joy of winning, it could very easily turn out tragic for any of the people involved. It is no longer just "part of the game" because fans are making a habit of doing it for less and less reason. It needs to be controlled, and soon, before someone gets seriously hurt.
Joey Durant
I’m not sure how I feel about court storming. I’m for it 100% if there is a huge upset or in the NCAA Tournament. It’s a great experience for the team that pulled the upset but for the other team it’s not a fun time. Kansas and K-State have obviously been rivals for years now so that game is probably played harder by those guys just because they’re playing for bragging rights and for pride. But on the other hand its not a big deal if one were to win over another in this case because they have been back and forth the past couple of years in terms of winning. It’s not like K-state had no chance of winning the game so honestly storming the court was completely unnecessary. I could understand if Kansas was ranked number one and K-state was like dead last then maybe it would be acceptable but that is not the case here. Kansas players and coaches were not properly protected and I think that is the biggest problem.
ReplyDeleteJasmine Matthews
Court storming is a hot topic in today’s sport world. I see the pros and cons. I personally think it’s cool when the fans rush the court after a great win. Fraternity Intramural basketball is nearing the championship here at BGSU. Last night after a “grueling” win, spectating fraternity members “stormed the court.” Even though it was only about 30 members, the implications and connotations were there. I think court storming should be allowed ONLY if it could be safe for all. That would mean the teams, coaches, referees, staff, fans and participants would be subjected to as little harm as possible. How do you do that? Barricades? Fines? Storming delay? I’m not sure. Court storming has to be a nightmare for facility managers because the liability is huge and the outcomes are unknown. This recent situation is another piece in the case already being built against court storming. I’m just afraid that it is going to take someone getting seriously injured for action to be taken.
ReplyDelete-David Sims