Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
Ah, if only storming the court were the biggest signifier of a huge win in College Park, this debate might matter. No, when Maryland wins big, the students take to the streets of Route 1 to wreak havoc. Such has been the custom at the university for some time (one that was employed several times when I was a student there in 2002, the year the Terps went on to win a national championship), and is predictable enough that police officers, as they were last night, are already prepared to greet the students when they arrive on the scene.
Accordingly, campus officials have taken steps to quash the tradition through increasingly severe penalties for those who take part. After the last fan swarm, Maryland charged seven students with conduct violations. But the fact that last night was the first riot on Route 1 since 2006 probably has more to do with the Terps relative lack of big wins than any ramped-up enforcement on the part of the university.
The university has good cause for concern: early last decade, during the most intense riots, students damaged nearby businesses by throwing objects through windows. By those standards, last night was relatively calm. There were a few token arrests, a tree and a few trash cans were set on fire, and the cops had to use pepper spray, (which is better than rubber bullets, which have been employed in the past). By the looks of this Tweet, Duke's Nolan Smith had some issues getting his family off campus.
No doubt, this latest episode will engender threats of more stringent punishment from the college. The fact that the school dropped or greatly reduced all seven of the charges from the last riot in 2006 indicates that it was probably little more than lip service. So, whether one approves or not, the Route 1 tradition will live on. And people will continue to make jokes about how Terp fans burn couches.
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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I strongly disagree with your endorsement of Maryland fans storming the court, and I don’t say that because of personal bias. Maryland has great fans, but the fact is that the tradition of storming basketball courts or football fields simply must end. There is no place for it, as it puts the players, coaches, officials and fans at risk. And it is of great concern that the ACC does not do more to stop the problem.
A few weeks ago Kansas State, playing on their home court, beat Texas in a very tight game. At the time Texas was rated #1 in the country. It was the first time that Kansas State had beaten a #1 rated team in over 15 years. That being said, at the end of the game ALL of the K State fans stayed in their seats. The players actually went up into the crowd to thank the fans. That is the way things should be, and can be, if universities and conference officials respnsibly manage sporting events so that the safety of everyone at the event is placed in the highest regard. The ACC continues to fall short, and kudo’s to K State for doing things responsibly.
by ex35 on Mar 4, 2010 1:28 PM EST reply actions
Anyone at MD ever heard the term, "Act like you’ve been there before"?
They were 2nd in the conference…no need to storm the court.
by fiftyhz on Mar 4, 2010 1:57 PM EST reply actions
As a former Terp, i know the pandemonium. It was fun. My point is you’re not going to get 18-23 year-olds, some drunk, to chill or "act like they’ve been there before." Everyone takes risks every day. Should I not leave the house since I could get hit by a bus? People, and especially lawyers, need to ease back on the paranoia.
by juliusherbing on Mar 4, 2010 2:54 PM EST reply actions
So a part of your core studies is "Rioting 101" huh? Before you get red in the face I know not all Terp student were involved in breakning windows, etc.
ex35 you were doing very good until your last parting shot. No call for it for insulting an intire Conference because of a few. I started to say something like, "Didn’t you even loosen your tie in celebrating "? but that would be unkind.
by snowhill on Mar 4, 2010 3:22 PM EST reply actions
I love it! It shows how committed UMD fans are! Its not like anyone ever gets hurt anyway….
by DContheRise on Mar 4, 2010 3:24 PM EST reply actions
Snowhill:
Don’t know if you follow ACC sports or not, but the on court stampedes are happening at other conference venues as well. So Maryland does not stand alone in the ACC. It is up to the conference to take a strong stance that this type of behavior can no longer be tolerated. And it appears rather obvious that other conferences are taking stances to eliminate just episodes. It has nothing to do with lawyers, rather common sense public safety.
by ex35 on Mar 4, 2010 8:19 PM EST reply actions
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