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Rantin’ and Ravin’: Storming the court or field isn’t the issue, it’s the fans

Mar 7, 2025 | 12:50 PM

By Chris Marler

The Kick Six. The Band is on the Field. Tennessee singing Dixieland Delight in unison in Neyland Stadium under a haze of cigar smoke after beating Alabama.

Those moments are iconic, and it’s impossible to imagine them without the defining events that unfolded as the clock hit zero.

The Tradition of Storming the Field

Fans have long upheld the tradition of storming the field in college sports, weaving it into the fabric of the games themselves. However, recent debates and controversies have emerged as the practice becomes increasingly common. Hell, Vanderbilt has done it three times in the last six months in football and basketball.

At some point the idea of fans celebrating at midfield or halfcourt found itself in the crosshairs of suits and executives running the sport. It’s hidden under the thinly veiled excuse of safety and saving money for NIL. Or is it?

The SEC’s No-Fun Policy

The SEC imposes a $100,000 fine for a first offense, increases the penalty to $250,000 for a second offense, and caps fines at $500,000 for repeat violations. Again, the player safety is the main reason for it even though it reeks of No Fun League and Robert Goodell levels of lame.

It’s not often that I agree with executives or authority in, well, really anything. However, this time they’re getting it right.

The whole situation has become super unfun. Having college coaches take to a mic with :20 seconds left to remind everyone to stay off the field or court has created this weird interruption of anticipation. It’s like dumping coldwater all over the excitement.

Coaches Are Begging Fans to Stop

Throughout the season, coaches across the SEC have urged fans to avoid storming the court. At Missouri, Dennis Gates warned fans not to rush the floor after their huge win over Alabama. Similarly, after Georgia’s big victory over Florida, Kirby Smart made the same plea. Most recently, Chris Beard had to remind Ole Miss fans to wait until Tennessee players exited before a sea of Vineyard Vine-clad students in navy and red flooded the court in Oxford.

Checks don’t write themselves and money doesn’t grow on trees—not even in the SEC. So, saving money for future NIL collectives and purchases is understandable. However, the real motivation behind these efforts is keeping the fans off the court.

The Real Problem: The Fans

Blaming Greg Sankey for ruining the fun or pointing fingers at school ADs and coaches for dampening the excitement is easy. However, the responsibility falls entirely on the fans.

Don’t believe me? Look at Ole Miss fans during the win against Tennessee on Tuesday.

Perhaps the wildest turn of events in this whole deal has been watching the behavior of fans during the act themselves. Granted we all know the age old cliche that “fan” is short for “fanatic.” However, maybe that’s the problem.

At some point, fans shifted from rushing onto the field to celebrate a huge upset with players, coaches, and fellow supporters to making the moment about themselves. As cell phones and social media became involved, the focus quickly turned to capturing attention rather than celebrating the victory. The point quickly became how can I make this about me?

Time to Reconsider

I’m not expecting fans to acknowledge the flaws in their own behavior or logic in what I’m saying. I’ve been around the sport and fans for far too long to expect any changes on that front.

Maybe it’s time to reconsider celebrating by shoving a phone in an athlete’s face just seconds after a crushing loss, and then clutching proverbial pearls afterwards when they—gasp—don’t handle it well.

Who could see that coming?  

To be clear the problem isn’t just in Oxford. Or Nashville. Or Knoxville. It’s everywhere. And, until it gets under control it’s only going to get worse. 

Check out more of our SEC coverage here.