The debate surrounding court-storming in college basketball is nothing new to fans of the sport. The safety of this practice is frequently questioned but, in the past, no permanent actions have been taken to deny fans of this tradition. Recently, this topic has resurfaced following the incidents that have put two college players at risk of an injury. The question is, should storming the court be regulated to protect player safety?
Court-storming is a well-established tradition that allows fans to rush to the court at the end of a game to celebrate a win. Many fans and players alike believe that the practice of storming the court is a great way to celebrate and increase the energy on the court, however, when this action turns aggressive, they believe something needs to change. This tradition is in jeopardy of being heavily restricted following two events this year that have put player safety at risk.
Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark was the first player in these recent events to be impacted by court-storming. Following the Buckeyes win against the Hawkeyes, the fans rushed onto the court. Consequently, a fan ran into Clark and knocked her to the ground. After the game, Clark states the incident was, “Kind of scary, could have caused a pretty serious injury to me, and knocked the wind out of me.” Her coach agreed and added, “Our players should be safe. They should be able to walk off the floor. That’s very disappointing.”
The second incident involves Duke Blue Devils player Kyle Filipowski during their game against Wake Forest. Even before the final buzzer sounded, fans rushed onto the court to enjoy their win. Filipowski collided with several fans, which resulted in an injury to his right knee. In an interview with CBS he says, “This one was the worst of them. As I said, it’s just really ridiculous, you know, how that situation is handled…there’s no reason why they see a big guy like me trying to make my way off the court and can’t work their way around me. There’s no excuse for that.”
The idea that valuable players could be getting hurt, has many coaches and fans seeking a change in how these events are handled. Solutions to this issue range from small penalties and fines to arrests and bans. Currently, the decision is left for each conference to make on its own. Some already have financial penalties in place, while others don’t have any policies set at all. Many steps will have to be taken to change a tradition such as this, but change might be necessary to prioritize player safety as the college basketball season continues.
