The Problem of Court Storming
‘This gotta change’ and my proposal might do just that
On Saturday, Feb. 24, unranked Wake Forest beat №8 Duke on its home floor 83–79 in a men’s college basketball game.
It wasn’t a major upset — the Demon Deacons (18–9) were fourth in the ACC standings — but the victory improved their chances of an NCAA bid and, dang it, it just feels good to beat Duke. (I’m a Blue Devil grad and I get it.) So, as the clock ticked down, the jubilant fans stormed the floor.
In the rush, Duke sophomore and star forward Kyle Filipowski was involved in a collision with a fan and injured. Cameras showed him surrounded by trainers and teammates and helped off the floor, limping. Afterward, he discussed it with the media and posted the simple admonition on X, “This gotta change…”
Caitlin Clark, the transcendent star of the University of Iowa who recently set the all-time NCAA scoring record for women and is on course to pass Pete Maravich’s all-time men’s record this season, expressed the same sentiment when Iowa fell to Ohio State in Columbus on January 20. Clark was “blindsided” by a fan rushing the court and had the wind knocked out of her, but she was otherwise unhurt.
Clark was gracious afterward, “This is what comes with the territory. I’m sure they tried their best to do whatever they could. Obviously, it didn’t work, and that’s disappointing, but just focus now on the game and ways we can get better.”
It’s not hard to find articles from years and decades earlier decrying the danger of court storming. Marc Tracy wrote a piece in the NY Times in 2016 that acknowledges that the tradition “has a long pedigree.” That article also seems to express the common conclusion that nothing can be done about it. Cindy Boren published a piece in the Washington Post following Filipowski’s injury. Her title acknowledges that change must happen, but it includes the question, “But will it?”
Solutions have been tried, namely, beefed-up security and fines. In both Clark’s and Filipowski’s incidents this season, the possibility of fans storming the court in victory had been discussed and prepared for. Security had been increased. In Wake Forest, the public address announcer told the fans not to storm the court, but it made no difference. The Demon Deacons were entering the court before the final seconds had ticked off.
The ACC does not impose fines for court stormings, so Duke coach Jon Scheyer and Wake coach Steve Forbes could lament the situation and call for change, but regret was the only currency at stake. The SEC has the stiffest penalties — “$100,000 for a first court or field storming offense, $250,000 for a second and $500,000 each for subsequent offenses” — but that did not stop LSU fans from storming their court when the men’s team beat Kentucky on February 21 on a last-second shot.
Other solutions may exist, like reconfigured arenas or even more security cordons around the court. Court storming does not happen in the NBA or, with very rare exceptions, at NCAA games. But those solutions are very expensive and impossible for every school to implement. What’s needed is something that costs the fans themselves, not the schools.
I propose forfeiture of the game.
Forfeiture rules are narrow, as they should be. They generally fall into two categories: 1) forfeiture during the contest, if one team is unable to compete or refuses to, or 2) forfeiture after the contest, “due to student-athlete eligibility issues or other extenuating circumstances.” This would fall under “other extenuating circumstances.”
A game away is already a hostile environment, but it should not be a dangerous one. Danger inhibits athletic play. In the final few minutes of a game, athletes should not have to worry about whether they will be able to leave the floor safely. They shouldn’t abandon a drawn-up play so that they will not be on the “wrong” side of the floor in the final seconds, as Filipowski was when the Wake fans stormed the court.
This proposal would not eliminate celebration, just postpone it. The rule might be: “Fans who enter the court within 60 seconds of the final buzzer will lead to a forfeiture of the win for their team.’’ Reset the game clock to 1:00 and let the fans count down to their mad rush while the opposing team exits to safety.
That announcement can be made clearly to all fans before and during the game. In addition, fans who enter the court could be fined or penalized with a banishment from the arena. (Arrest is not necessary. Any fans who cause a victory to be voided will receive far worse than jail time from their confrères.)
Sure, it dampens the wild exuberance of winning.
Yes, it takes some fun out of the unpredictability of college sports.
But if we want to protect the athletes and the fans, who also risk injury from collisions and from responses from players, then it would be worth implementing.
Nike had the right idea: Just Do It.
Thank you for reading, friends.
