Dark cloud hanging over court storms

Avoidable. Pointless. Inexcusable.

Those were just a few thoughts that came to my mind when the highlight of Iowa State fans storming the court after a big comeback win over Iowa came on the screen during SportsCenter this morning.

Sure, everyone loves a big win. In college (and even high school) athletics, where many of the athletes you are watching compete are playing for pride, and for those in the student section, are your peers, you want to celebrate with them. I get it.

However, court storming needs to end, or at the very least, dramatically change.

The excitement of a comeback win is exhilarating. But when you are a Top-5 ranked team, you have no business storming the court regardless of whom you beat.

Court-storming should at the very least be restricted to an unranked team defeating a Top-5 team, and shouldn?t be allowed if the winning school is from a Power-5 conference.

Why is it acceptable for a smaller school, such as Northern Iowa or Drake? Those wins are program-definers. A victory over a Top-3 team is unthinkable.

If you are a Rutgers and you beat Michigan State? You are still in the Big Ten. Technically, you are supposed to have a little competitiveness in your own conference, or an equivalent conference. Act like you belong.

Perhaps, as a sportswriter, I write this out of self-preservation. During last night?s court storming at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, a columnist for the Des Moines Register, Randy Peterson, suffered a compound leg fracture as fans rushed the court to celebrate the victory.

He tripped as he tried to get out of the way of the ensuing rush of fans, and fell victim to the ensuing stampede of students.

The same could have happened to any one of the students, managers or superstar athletes who were on the court celebrating, or even worse, to one of the coaches or athletes who didn?t have time to get off the court before the rush came on.

What?s to stop a (possibly inebriated) college student from thinking he?ll be ?hilarious? and lash out at one of the players, potentially affecting the athlete?s future and the team?s future.

Sure, I?ve been a part of a court storm before, and I loved every second of it. When my alma mater North Scott upset Pleasant Valley years ago in a basketball playoff game, the student section was the first thing on the floor when the buzzer sounded.

However, the fans were restricted to the side of the court that North Scott?s bench resided on, and every effort was made to allow the opponent?s players out before the swarming masses arrived.

A preventable injury, to a player or anyone, shouldn?t be allowed, so in an era where we value safety above everything else, let?s get something done.