By The Editorial Board
From running the line to storming the court, Baylor students have their fair share of “field access.” However, protecting college athletes in these common and exciting events is more of a hot-button issue than you may initially think.
The NCAA is battling some voices who urge the league to protect college athletes and others who promote the college experience. The storm came to fruition after senior Iowa guard Caitlin Clark — the undisputed best player in women’s college basketball — took a hard fall as a result of a collision with a fan during a court storming on Jan. 21.
“The fact that [storming the court] is banned and SEC school officials accept and encourage it is a contradiction,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said in an AP article after calling for an end to the tradition. “I love the passion and enthusiasm, but fans now believe it is their right. It’s not. At an NFL or NBA game, they’d be arrested.”
Hours after the Clark collision set an internet fire, a Tulane fan went viral for forcefully slapping the back of a player on the opposing team during a court storming of their own. Since Thursday, there have been four more court stormings — a climbing number week after week.
“Do I think player safety should be first and foremost? Absolutely,” No. 13 Baylor women’s basketball head coach Nikki Collen said. “At the same time, I feel like one of the things that makes college athletics special is the opportunity, especially for students, to share in the celebration.”
Baylor stands in a unique spot on the issue. With the new Foster Pavilion, in which students sit behind the basket and courtside behind the benches, there is easy access that could lead to disaster.
“All we’re doing is trying to make women’s basketball cool, and the only way you can be cool is if you involve students,” Collen said. “Certainly, I think we need to understand and be prepared in those situations, but I also would hate to see us overreact to the point that we don’t let college students be college students and really, really enjoy what was an amazing game.”
Security wearing neon green lined the floor in front of the Baylor student section on Saturday during No. 18 men’s basketball’s triple-overtime loss, preparing for a potential game-winning shot that never came. Yet, tons of older security guards won’t do the trick of keeping players safe in the event of a court storming.
The NCAA has tried to prevent the issue by increasing the fine given to schools in the event of a court storming — now nearly $100,000 per instance and increasing to $500,000 after the third instance — but the fine will never impact students.
At some point, college basketball needs to do a better job protecting its athletes. While the student experience is important, it has the potential to cause serious damage. Simply adding more security around student sections won’t stop a swarm. Instead, the conference should look toward security strictly around visiting players, as they have been the victims of many incidents.
Across the nation, court stormings are becoming far more common, and much of their historic meaning is being wiped away. The student experience at the Foster Pavilion should be exciting, and there will be plenty of storm-worthy moments, but think twice before running onto the court after a game. An imperfect storm could change college athletics for good.
