RUSHING the court is pointless. Plain and simple. As the men's basketball game against Arizona came to a close last week, the excitement built as people started to realize that we had a fighting chance to with the game and upset the number 10 team in the country. While I admit I was excited, I was in no hurry to rush onto a brand new court in a brand new arena with thousands of people pushing from behind me.
The obsession with running onto the court comes from a strong selfish desire to gain entry into prohibited spaces. People hope to rush the court only because they like being in a place that is normally -- and rightly -- reserved for athletes. While some argue that rushing the court allows players and fans alike to celebrate together after a big win, a space as small as a basketball court within a building as large as John Paul Jones Arena spells danger in the event of rushing rather than celebration. With thousands of people clamoring to step foot on less than 100 feet of glossy woodwork, players are just as likely to be injured as are other students and fans.
The philosophy of "celebrating with the players" -- another "good" reason for rushing the court -- ignores the fact that fans have almost nothing to do with the team's athletic ability or season record. While it is true that the fans at JPJ made the environment hostile and intimidating for Arizona, it is important to remember that the players, not the fans, win basketball games. Therefore, the fans really have nothing to celebrate other than the fact that the members of the team they support played exceptionally well and won an important game. A celebration of such an event should not include running onto a court where students have no right to be and potentially injuring players and fans in the process.
The architecture of John Paul Jones Arena also makes rushing the court much more dangerous than in other arenas. Unlike Cameron Indoor at Duke University, there are no side court seats" other than those on the baseline. This makes side-court rushing incredibly dangerous for those in the press box on the sideline by the student section. Additionally, rushing the court even from the baseline could be dangerous because the basketball hoops are not suspended from the ceiling like they are at Duke and pose a huge obstacle that people could be thrown into if everyone were to rush the court.
Even more evidence is the fact that JPJ is not only a basketball arena. The removable court is raised a good four inches off the ground of the arena, and this sharp corner is even a cause for concern for the players who walk on and off the court to get to the locker rooms. With thousands of people rushing onto the court at the same time, it is almost impossible not to imagine at least one person tripping on the lip of the court and then getting trampled by hundreds of feet.
The contention that rushing the court or field is harmless or that it rarely results in injuries is a dangerous one because it ignores the simple facts of the matter. According to an Oct. 20, 2005 Cavalier Daily article, "Amid celebration, dark side of victory is impossible to forget," 11 students were injured in Scott Stadium last year after the 'Hoos defeated Florida State. While "a broken ankle, a puncture wound, lacerations and bruises" seem relatively harmless and eyewitness report in the article states that students"were literally stacked on top of each other, screaming in pain. One young man had purple fence marks all over his torso. His lips were turning blue due to lack of oxygen."
I too jumped over the wall that evening but only because had I stayed, I would have been crushed by the thousands of fans who were all pushing from behind me. A stronger on-field presence during that game could have prevented all injuries, much like last year's Penn State vs. Ohio State football game where the police began to spray pepper spray into the stands at the conclusion of the game to prevent any student from entering the playing area. Several University administrators at the athletic department were unavailable for comment, but messages at the end of the games reminding fans to stay off of the playing surface demonstrate the department's commitment to student safety.
For protecting student's safety, fans should commend the staff at John Paul Jones for creating an intimidating wall around the court to prevent injuries such as those experienced last year at Scott Stadium, and they should also recommend that the staff impede access to the court long into the future, especially given the arena's potentially dangerous architectural design.
Greg Crapanzano's column appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at gcrapanzano@cavalierdaily.com.
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