"Bulls Defeat Ohio, Break Losing Streak"

The stars aligned Saturday afternoon as the UB Bulls football team finally won a game, ending the longest current losing streak in college football. Unfortunately, the university remained out of touch with students at the end of the winning game, and forbid students to participate in any on-field celebrating.

It is important to give credit where it is due - our football team takes a lot of heat for losing games, and when they win, the UB community needs to take notice. If anything, a hard-fought victory this late in an already-lost season is a model of perseverance in the face of futility.

There is room for improvement, however, in the way in which UB chose to promote the game and celebrate the subsequent victory.

After UB kicked a field goal in the closing minutes to take a nine-point lead, fans began gathering to prepare to rush on to the field and celebrate. When the defense held Ohio and forced a turnover on downs, a loud voice boomed from the loudspeakers, telling students not to run on to the field. It was promptly greeted with boos. As the clock wound down, the voice repeated itself as a few students began to run on to the field.

Just days ago, the school was getting students excited for football games. Vandalism and destruction were encouraged in a controlled environment, as a car was smashed outside the Student Union prior to the homecoming game against Marshall. Students were told to get their blood flowing and come out in full force to support the team. Spirit Week is called Spirit Week for a reason.

The message to promote school spirit apparently had a time limit on it - a mere seven days. The school cannot pump students up and then regulate how and when they are supposed to express themselves. The spirit is also poorly timed. Fans turned out to see the game last week because it was heavily promoted. Many students were unaware that there was a game this weekend, and even less aware that it was against a team that could be beaten.

UB should have realized that when the losing streak was to finally end, students who are committed enough to show up to the games would want to storm the field. The school also does not have to worry about that many students, as the number of students at Bulls games is minimal when compared to other big college football programs.

There are many legitimate safety concerns that could have been addressed without condemning UB's action completely. First of all, setting up officers around the goalposts is a necessity, as the school does not need to waste more money getting new ones set up after an uncontrolled celebratory riot.

Other major safety concerns include the interaction between UB students and opposing players. Students who did run on to the field following the game ran through a gate that was used by Ohio players to get to the locker room. That could have been an issue, but the joyous students were more focused with celebrating with the UB players than confronting the Ohio ones.

Despite the warnings, the students who ran on to the field did it in a respectful way. The students ran to the middle of the field and joined the players in a celebration at midfield. Instead of condemning the actions, UB should be proud that they fostered such spirit.

In the future, UB should be prepared for students running on to the field after victories. The school has the right to make sure the spirit is directed in a safe manner, but an outright ban is hypocritical and counterintuitive. The few students who actually attend games should be rewarded for their dedication and allowed to celebrate respectfully with the team.