A little bit about me — I am currently an undergraduate student studying at Indiana University and, much like just about everyone else that goes to school here in Bloomington, I avidly and passionately follow IU basketball.
As you probably know, the Hoosiers, having dropped two of their first three Big Ten games this season, picked up a huge victory Tuesday over previously unbeaten and third-ranked Wisconsin at Assembly Hall.
That much was notable by itself, but the game really turned into a bigger national story thanks to its aftermath, during which jubilant students rushed the court to celebrate the upset win over a team that had beaten IU 12 games in a row dating back to 2007.
Many pundits rushed to criticize the fans storming the court. The prevailing argument seemed to be that Indiana, with its five national championships, should be too proud to ever get that excited over a single win.
“Indiana University should not storm the court,” tweeted ESPN’s Seth Greenberg. “Rare that schools with their tradition storms (sic).”
Sports Illustrated writer Seth Davis added to the commentary when he tweeted, “Indiana fans just stormed the court because of a win over Wisconsin. Somewhere Bob Knight is tearing the wings off a fly.”
Clearly the students disagree, and there are several logical reasons that we should be able to storm the court whenever we want to.
Since Greenberg and Davis seem to have some trouble remembering what it’s like to be a college student attending a sporting event at their school; let me give you some insight into the minds of our fans. The following applies not just for Indiana students, but for the vast majority of schools around the country, including basketball bluebloods such as Duke and Kentucky.
For the most part, college students attend their school for four years (at most) before moving on to the grinds of graduate school or the full-time workforce. It’s one of the last times in a person’s life when they can go crazy on a regular basis — mixing in some studying, of course — and not be considered irresponsible. This is where a lot the passion and rowdiness that make college sports so entertaining come from.
College students stand for the entirety of many games — at least, good fan sections do — dress up in crazy costumes, participate in eccentric cheers, sing the school’s fight song ad nausuem and generally shout themselves hoarse in support of their team.
When the team wins a game over an opponent that seemed far more talented, the triumph likely came, at least in part, due to the raucous support of the fans. Are you really going to begrudge them a chance to celebrate with the players and jump around on the court? If you are, I have to wonder how the scenery looks from your high horse.
College students in general are simply looking to have fun and there are very few more enjoyable experiences than jumping around in a teeming throng of joyous, screaming fans at center court. It’s an experience that these fans will remember for years.
Rushing the court at a traditional power like Indiana is entirely defensible because, although the program has won big in the past, this team has not. Yes, the Hoosiers have five title banners hanging from the rafters of Assembly Hall, but these students have not have not been around for them.
The students have no part in the tradition that was built under Bob Knight and some of the upperclassmen students have actually endured sub-.500 seasons in their time here. Our parents were in college the last time IU brought home a national title (1987). We were underdogs who beat a heavily favored team, so we celebrated. It’s as simple as that.
John Calipari claims that students would never forget tradition at Kentucky, but I would like to see the Wildcats’ faithful go through three seasons with a combined record of 28-66 and see how they feel after.
The bottom-line here is that court storming should be seen as a reward for students who attend their schools’ games even when the team isn’t very good. When that support leads to wins over teams that are supposedly better, there’s no reason not to let loose.
Let the teeming throng assemble.
Dylan Sinn is a freelance contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSinn or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
