Court storming has become a very controversial topic this basketball season. (Courtesy of Instagram)
It is time for the NCAA to address the attacks on the field and on the courts. Attendance at college football and basketball games has increased rapidly over the past two years. This year, the practice has come under scrutiny following two separate instances where player safety was compromised due to an on-field storm. The first occurred when University of Iowa women’s basketball star, senior Caitlin Clark, collided with an Ohio State University fan after the Hawkeyes’ loss in January. The second occurred when Duke University sophomore men’s basketball player Kyle Filipowski collided with several Wake Forest University fans after the Deacs dominated the Blue Devils in late February. After the Wake Forest incident, the issue of court storming returned to the national spotlight. Conferences have attempted to take action by imposing fines on schools that allow their students into “competition zones.” In late February, Louisiana State University was fined $100,000 for storming the court after upsetting No. 17 University of Kentucky. The Atlantic Coast Conference, to which Duke and Wake Forest belong, is one of the only ones that does not fine schools that rush the field or court. Fordham’s conference, the Atlantic 10, fines teams who storm the field after a game.
The question of player safety is at the center of the concerns of opponents who invade the field. Players, especially members of the visiting team, are caught in the chaos of a hostile fan base, which is an invitation for trouble to arise. Field assaults are inherently chaotic and generally have little significance for anything other than celebrating victory over a major opponent. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing – it’s part of what makes college sports so special. But the legal assaults have gone too far. They have become far too banal, which takes away some of their specialness and mystique. But here’s the problem: There is no good solution to the problem of legal assaults. It’s one of those things that will always happen. Imposing a fine on the school rarely works, as we have seen legal assaults persist despite conferences threatening schools with fines. It’s a question of numbers: if several thousand students are all excited after a big victory and decide to take to the field, there’s not much that can be done. Trying to impose a monetary penalty on schools places an undue burden on security and games operations teams, either requiring them to stop student actions or risking the entire athletic department being fined a fine.
Pitch stormings cannot be effectively prohibited, and therefore efforts must focus on making them safer, limiting the risks to opposing teams as much as possible. As fans, we love seeing a field stormed: it gains publicity for a school, it builds enthusiasm among fans, and it can increase student engagement with teams. But for the athletic departments of many Division I schools, it represents a significant security risk and potential financial disaster. Schools should be required to have additional security when playing games that could result in a field storming, especially against rival opponents or nationally known teams. Make sure that before the floor is flooded with students, all opposing players have cleared the danger zone – half court. This failure is the cause of Clark Filipowski’s injuries.
It’s very easy to say “ban judicial assaults,” but it’s incredibly difficult to implement. There is no perfect solution that schools and conferences would agree on. You will certainly have teams such as Power Five schools that are often attacked in court when beaten on the road and will advocate for harsh punishments. Then you’ll have the little guys who are eager for the opportunity to get that big win over a big-time program and put their team in the national spotlight. It’s a question that will spark plenty of debate this offseason. However, I think a total ban would be difficult, if not impossible, to implement. Energy must be devoted to making meaningful changes to ensure player safety comes first.
