Iowa State beat writer injured during court storming

It's not just reporters, some coaches have complained about it too. A player was borderline assaulted at Kansas State last year and a security guard had to stop a crazy fan before he got to Bill Self at Iowa State a few years ago.

I don't think automatic forfeit is the answer. Then you probably get some fans of the visiting team going on the floor just to incite a forfeit. The SEC starting fining schools and it seems to have worked.

It's one thing when a lowly bottom feeder knocks off No. 1 or something like that. But when you've been ranked most of the past couple years, are currently in the Top 5 and playing an unranked team that hasn't beaten you in your building in 12 years? Seriously Cyclones, this is why everyone makes fun of you even when you're good at something.

 

Also, have any of you actually stormed a court before? It's pretty fucking easy to do. I did once when I was in college and my unranked school beat our rival, who was ranked No. 2 at the time, in double overtime. Even with security guards set up, it wasn't difficult. Eventually, those security guards just give up anyway. The only real barrier between the fans and the court is the scorer's and press tables.

I'm not saying there needs to be a plexiglass wall up or anything, but the ease with which students can do it doesn't help.

 

I covered a few football games where fans stormed the field. I never really paid attention to the fans, though, because I was running onto the field myself to get celebration photos. The only issue I remember was at Wisconsin five years ago when some fans in the front row were getting shoved against the railing by people behind.

Glad I've never had it happen in basketball. There's not a lot of space on a floor for 10,000 people. Of course, the only college hoops I've covered since I graduated has been a school draws less than some high schools around me.

Court-storming won't stop until there's incident like The Who concert.

 

Why don't we ask these folks?

Rushing the court: One man's sobering story

 

Years ago, Oregon had a security detail to protect the goal posts after someone was hurt by a teardown celebration the previous year. The visiting locker room was right next to it, so us writers were down there waiting for the coach to come out. I looked at the security detail and a couple of them were 5-foot, 95-pound girls. No offense to them, but what were the chances they could prevent some hulking, drunk asshole from attacking the goal post.
One year, UCLA hosted a nationally televised basketball game against Arizona. The Bruins won at the buzzer. Press row was in front of the student section and here they came. Me and the guy next to me held our spots (and protected our computers) with well-placed elbow shots, but the ESPN crew couldn't handle it. Monitors and headsets went flying and one of the commentators, BAY-BEE, got knocked down. Afterward, Vitale cornered a UCLA administrator and was shouting at him, saying he would never cover another game at Pauley Pavilion. So here's a guy who spent the last 2-1/2 hours inciting the fans with his "PT BAY-BEE" bullshit and now he's mad that the fans got incited.

 

I covered a game when the team I was covering upset the No. 1 team in the country. It was over well before the final whistle, and a student said, "You guys had better move. It's about to get crazy." I packed everything up, got behind the students and then watched them as they acted like savages.

For what it's worth, this is a dumb, dumb tradition.

 

I drunkenly rushed the field at Ross-Ade Stadium nearly 20 years ago, as a college freshman, when Purdue got its first home win of the year against a top 10 Michigan team in mid November. One of the goal posts was torn down and carried to the Wabash. It was stupid and not something I'm proud of, although at the time I thought it was a blast. There's so much more room on a football field, it didn't feel like anyone was being endangered.

I've been to tons of college basketball games, many sitting in the student section in Chapel Hill to which I transferred, and I never once gave thought to rushing the basketball court. I've always thought it was kind of silly. So we rush down there, and then what?

 

Well, you just might get yourself on the teevee!

 

In the early 80's a Harvard student was severely injured at the Harvard Yale game in New Haven when the students took down the goalpost. A few years later some Patriots fans were injured when they took down a goalpost, carried it down Rt. 1 and struck a power line.
I think they redesigned goalposts after that so they break apart into smaller pieces.

 

Didn't someone die in that Foxboro incident?

I remember in 2005 after Penn State beat Ohio State, the fans rushed the field. The next day everyone was popping photos up on Facebook -- and police used those photos to issue citations/arrest some folk.

 

Injuries happen in football field-rushing, too. I seem to recall severe injuries at Camp Randall Stadium, when Wisconsin beat Michigan in 1993. Didn't some bleachers collapse? [/too lazy to look it up]

And if this game had been played at Iowa City, it wouldn't have been a problem if the home team won, because:
1. The reporters sit halfway up the stands
2. Very few students attend Iowa men's basketball games.
3. It's basketball. In December. Where's my Rose Bowl swag??? When's the next wrestling meet???

 

Most of the goal posts are lowered with a switch now.......Don't mind storming the field in football after a huge upset.......basketball just gets way too congested.