It’s a tradition that dates back decades: college and high school fans storming a basketball court or football field after a big upset win.
This college basketball season, there have been players injured during celebrations on the court. A Duke University player suffered a sprained knee after the Blue Demons fell to Wake Forest this past weekend.
The incidents have renewed calls for ‘court storming’ to be banned.
“Get rid of it,” said Packers Hall of Famer Mark Tauscher, of ESPN Wisconsin’s Wilde & Tausch. “It’s a fun ‘visual’ (to see fans run on the court). I don’t want to suck the passion out of sports, and I understand why fans want to do it. But I don’t think an injury is worth the visual of seeing someone storm the court.”
The juice isn’t worth the squeeze, Tauscher told Wis. Morning News on Tuesday.
“College basketball is the greatest thrill ever,” said Lori Nickel, of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Nickel was asked by the Wis. Morning News team how universities could ‘fix the problem.’
“I think the fix could be with Artificial Intelligence,” she explained. “Cameras and videos will identify people after the fact, and there could be possible prosecution.”
It is yet to be determined whether universities will ultimately decide to ban fans from storming the court. But one thing is for certain, a player will eventually get hurt. Will it be worth it?
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