The court storming debate

Mike Krzyzewski recently brought up a subject that always seems to bring about numerous arguments at least once or twice during every college basketball season. His Duke team lost to Virginia last week, and as is usually the case when an unranked team wins a home game against a highly ranked opponent, the game ended with the Virginia fans rushing on to the court as the final buzzer sounded.
Krzyzewski exchanged heated words with some fans, and during his post game press conference, he addressed what he believed to be a lack of security at the arena. He wasn't critical of the concept of "court storming" in general, he was only critical of what he thought was a poor job by the security staff at the arena of getting his team and staff safely off the court and into the locker room.

As the coach of Duke, I'm sure that Krzyzewski has witnessed more than his share of court stormings during his lifetime, so if anyone has the authority to speak on the matter, Coach K is definitely the one to do so. I talk about "old school" and "new school" trains of thought a lot, and this court storming debate is just another one that seems to match those two ways of thinking against each other yet again. "Old school" thinkers would say that court storming should be banned because of the potential dangers it brings about, while "new school" thinkers would say that it is simply a way for teams and students to celebrate together, and there is nothing wrong with it.

On this matter, I must say that I have to side with the "old school" way of thinking. I just feel as if thousands of students storming on to a basketball court following a game is a recipe for disaster. I get the fact that it happens regularly and without any sort of incident, and I get the fact that the concept of it is in no way malicious or ill-willed. I just feel like the whole idea is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Some day in the future; it may be tomorrow, or it may be ten years from now, someone is going to be seriously injured (or, even worse) during one of these scenes, and we are going to look back at all of these previous minor incidents and wonder why we did nothing to stop what was obviously bound to happen.

Don't get me wrong here, I am all for celebration and exuberance in sports. I cannot stand the fact that penalty flags can be thrown for "excessive celebration" in football, and I think that any type of achievement in sports is worthy of celebration. However, there are lines that need to be drawn. A group of football players dancing or engaging in some sort of celebratory act after a touchdown is harmless. If a player gets mad because his or her opponent is celebrating on the field of play, then my only words of advice are this: play better. However, there is a major difference between players celebrating on the field/court/rink and thousands of fans joining in the celebration.

I have been in college before, and I have sat in student sections during both basketball and football games. I can tell you for a fact that, while the student sections are often times the most arduous in terms of team support, they are definitely not the best representation of a university as a whole. At UConn, where I watched basketball and football games from a student section, I can tell you without question that some students at games are not exactly on their best behavior. We get it though. These are college kids we are talking about, and there is a reason that they are in the stands and not on the field/court/rink. However, when a game ends and these kids rush on to the court, they are intermingling with the athletes, and this is where the problem arises.

The time it takes for a final buzzer to sound and a visiting team and its staff to find solace in the locker room in minute. However, when thousands of college students (some of whom are not sober) are storming on to a basketball court, that small amount of time seems to become longer and longer. As athletes, the players are trained to ignore hecklers and opposing fans. Team staffs are also taught to do the same. Nevertheless, we still have to face that fact that no matter what, these are all human beings we are talking about. Players and coaches can only turn a deaf ear to harassment for so long. Eventually, each individual will reach his or her breaking point, and I think that court storming brings that breaking point for opposing players far too close for comfort.

All it is going to take is one overzealous fan and one broken athlete for this matter to go from theory to reality. Maybe I sound like an old fogie in saying that I am afraid of that day, but let me sound like Nostradamus when I tell you that it will eventually happen. Maybe someone will get trampled. Maybe a coach or player will be involved in a physical altercation with a fan. Eventually though, something serious is going to happen, and the sports world is going to be kicking itself for not mitigating this problem while it still had the chance.

Not to say I told you so...but, eventually, I told you so...


Daily Rangers Update: Thanks to a new work schedule, I have been unable to watch the Rangers much recently. However, I have been EXTREMELY disappointed with the results over the course of the season so far. The team is trying to use injuries as an excuse, but I'm not buying it. This is a team that should be competing for a Stanley Cup THIS SEASON, and what I am seeing is nowhere near that level.
Daily Nets Update: It seems like the Nets will be competing for home court in the first round (the equivalent of a top four seed in the Eastern Conference) throughout the rest of the regular season. I have been saying for a while that if they can win a playoff series, this should be considered a good year, and I still think that is possible. Brooklyn visits Chicago tonight in a game between the #5 and #6 seed in the conference, so this is obviously an important game. Let's Go Nets!
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Opening Day just keeps getting closer and closer, and I couldn't be happier. The team is pretty much set, as I have said before, but there are a few roster spots still up for grabs. As I have also said, there will be plenty of baseball posts to come here, so I won't bore you all with any details today.
Daily Giants Update: The team just re-signed Will Beatty to a big deal, which is a move that I really like. There are still a lot of questions surrounding the Giants that need to be addressed, but with over a month to go before the draft, there is still time for the team to answer them. I probably won't focus on football too much until the draft rolls around, but so far, the Giants get a passing grade for their offseason, even though it is still far from over.