College football is built on rivalries. The game is enjoyed because emotions run high on a yearly basis, and the balance of power can swing in a few years. When a team wins an important game, fans want to take part in the celebration by rushing the field. While that can be an acceptable outlet for the enthusiastic masses, it too often spreads to violence; since rushing the field is an acceptable, and according to some, integral, part of college football, the burden of protection lies on the home team.
Stories of fan violence have been prevalent of late. In the most recent incident, an unruly fan advanced on a Miami of Ohio coach after the team was defeated on the road at Marshall. The coach responded by shoving the student, who suffered a concussion when he hit his head on the field's hard turf. The coach was then handcuffed and led off the field. Since then, the coach has been maligned while the student sits in a hospital receiving sympathy cards. Not only should the student take more blame for what happened on the field, the university should also be ashamed for not providing proper security to allow the visiting team to leave the field free of hassle from Marshall students.
There is currently no liability for what happens after college football games on the field. It is time for the NCAA to step up and force home teams to provide adequate security for opposing teams and officials. Their enforcement method could be the same punishment for other violations; specifically, restricting recruitment privileges. If students know their actions can hurt the team on the field in the coming year, perhaps they will be more responsible about the kinds of actions they take.
If universities are responsible for security, there are only positives, as everyone wins when players and fans are safe. The security, however, must be lenient enough to allow fans onto the field, especially after emotional college games. In the collegiate atmosphere, the players are students and often share classes and residence halls with the fans, building a greater connection than in professional sports.
Security always needs to be present to act as a deterrent. It is a shame that there are certain people who feel the need to run out on the field in the middle of the game. Those lunatics can never be stopped, but those isolated incidents like the one at Marshall are symptomatic of lackadaisical security, which needs to be fixed. Security should be passive, not careless, working more to protect targeted bodies than to prohibit fan involvement.
There is a fine line between being elated and being obnoxious to the losing team. If students know they will be held responsible for violations placed on their team because of NCAA restrictions, they will think twice about going after members of the opposing team. Safety must always come first, but there are ways to maintain it while allowing students to celebrate a victory with their friends.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
