University of Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne floated a possible idea on how to stop students and fans from storming the court after major wins.
Students and fans celebrate big wins, usually in football or basketball, by going onto the court or field to celebrate. At its most extreme, fans tear down goalposts and remove them from the field. There is also an ugly side in which fans and players get into a fracas as well.
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Byrne said there is a way to stop it altogether.
“I think from a safety standpoint, keeping people off the fields and courts is a good thing for everybody involved,” he told ESPN. “If we said that the home team, if they storm the field or the court, they’re going to lose the game right then and there, that will stop it.”
Byrne said he is OK with the criticism he is opening himself up to and is willing to listen to better ideas.
Right now, some conferences fine schools over the celebrations. The SEC has a fine structure for court and field storming. A school is fined $100,000 for the first incident, $250,000 for the second and $500,000 for the third.
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“I think that’s a tough proposition,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey told ESPN of Byrne’s proposal. “I do think there’s more than Greg in this league who feel that way, though.”
In recent years, the storming has led to incidents with fans.
Former Alabama tight end Jermaine Burton struck a woman who was a fan of Tennessee after the Volunteers upset the Crimson Tide two years ago. Former Duke men’s basketball star Kyle Filipowski also got involved in a fracas with fans after the Blue Devils lost a game to Wake Forest.
College sports appear to still be grappling with how to handle the situation.
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