No more rushing the field/court in the SEC

#1
Volstorm

Volstorm

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#1
SEC sportsmanship rule tightens fan access
By Associated Press
December 15, 2004

The Southeastern Conference announced new sportsmanship policies Tuesday that are designed to limit spectator access to competition areas in all sports.

The policy, which was approved by all SEC schools and went into effect Dec. 1, states that "access to competition areas shall be limited to participating student-athletes, coaches, officials, support personnel and properly-credentialed individuals at all times."

"For the safety of participants and spectators alike, at no time before, during or after a contest shall spectators be permitted to enter the competition area," the policy says.

The policy imposes financial penalties on institutions for violations in football and men's and women's basketball. The penalties range from $5,000 for a first offense to fines of up to $25,000 for a second offense and up to $50,000 for a third and subsequent offense.

The size of the penalty will be at the discretion of the commissioner.

"This policy is designed to create a safe environment for our student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans," said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive in a statement Tuesday. "Our institutions felt that this was a step that needed to be taken to insure a safe atmosphere at all of our intercollegiate athletics events."

Fans who violate the rules can be kicked out, arrested and kept from purchasing future tickets. Students may also be punished by their schools for violating the rules.
 
#2
#2
Excuse me for being Crude...but that sucks! My kids have thoroughly enjoyed going on the field after games for some autographs and artifacts. All because a couple of crips in Detroit couldn't control themselves. geez...disgusting!
 
#4
#4
Did anyone even run out on the field after a game this year in the SEC? This stems from the Indiana vs. Detroit basketball game doesn't it?
 
#5
#5
was anyone else on the field when we tore down the goalposts after the florida upset?
 
#6
#6
I understand the rationale. It's all about liability. If a student gets hurt or killed when the goal posts come down, mama is going to sue the university for negligence.

Having said that, this stinks.

Rushing the field after a big, and I mean BIG, win is a time-honored tradition in football, and to a lesser degree, basketball. For the SEC to agree to this rule is to deny the students an emotional and physical link to the players that they support and the game that they play. When the Vols win a game, WE win; not just the players and coaches.

This is just one more way that the threat of litigation has sanitized the world in which we live, and made it a less interesting place. Sad.
 
#7
#7
It is just as silly as throwing a flag on players celebrating a good play. That is trying to take the emotion out of it too.
 
#8
#8
I can't disagree with this, honestly. Yes, I was on the field after the UF game in 1998. The problem is, people have done it WAY too often since then. I mean, Carolina tore down the goalposts after beating somebody like San Jose State or something. Granted, they had not won a game in awhile, but come on, this is an SEC school. That should never happen after beating someone like that.

I'm surprised this has not happened sooner, honestly.
 
#9
#9
Every time I see goal posts come down I am amazed that nobody gets hurt. Yes this sucks, but Volshistory has it exactly right - having a mob on the field presents HUGE liability exposure for the schools.
 
#10
#10
Originally posted by GAVol@Dec 15, 2004 4:30 PM
Every time I see goal posts come down I am amazed that nobody gets hurt. Yes this sucks, but Volshistory has it exactly right - having a mob on the field presents HUGE liability exposure for the schools.
Click to expand...

Fine! I didn't want to run out on the stupid field anyway! :angry: ;)
 
#12
#12
There's a channel in Birmingham that occassionally shows old SEC games - the first one I saw was LSU - FSU from the mid 80's. LSU beat the crap out of FSU and went to the Orange Bowl for some reason. Fans were pelting the field with oranges.

After the game, fans were all over the field and the camera showed it for about 10 minutes with no commentary (I think it was back when TBS showed a Sat. night game). Anyway, people were running all over the place. Two guys were on the side line and one pushed his buddy into the kicker's practice net. The were both drunk so it took the guy a while to get out of the net. As soon as he did, his buddy pushed him back into it - this went on for a while -- with no sound on the TV. It was surreal and absolutely hilarious.

I guess those days are over.
 
#13
#13
TV execs try so hard to find new programming, but watching drunk people knock each other down never gets old does it?
 
#15
#15
That's pretty funny.

But when you get people running out on the field, and getting in players' faces, like what happened with the NU player last year, well, bad things happen. Fans don't belong on the field or court. If we did, we would would be wearing uniforms.

I wish it hadn't come to this, but with the fan/player violence on the rise, the SEC had to step in. What if fans had stormed the field in Clemson? We'd have a mess on our hands similar to Detroit.
 
#18
#18
On a serious note (I hate doing this :p ), it seems to be a reflection of society. Violence has escalated - rushing the field now means violence where it used to be a social event.

I won't speculate on the cause but the sad reality is we have to take precautionary measures to prevent serious problems. Those lovable (?) drunk guys at the LSU game I referenced above weren't hurting anyone (including themselves). But that was 20 years ago. Today, those same guys would have intentionally broken things and wreaked havoc. Hooliganism is on the rise.
 
#21
#21
I thought we got Lucky Charms from the Irish, this does suck, I guess ABC won't have to worry about losing a camera and having it carried down the strip again
 
#22
#22
I would like to Brent Mussberger picked up and carried down to the river!
 
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