Ole Miss’ Fine Should End Razorbacks Fans Storming Courts, Fields
It’s hard not to wonder how Arkansas fans would feel about the Razorbacks paying Tennessee $500,000 after storming the field at Razorback Stadium last season.
Razorbacks athletic director Hunter Yurachek may try to play it cool about the cost, but since it has progressively gotten out of hand, the winds started to shift after this past season. Now it will be a little more personal to everyone.
Or should be. Fans probably won’t care they put a half-million bucks in some other team’s coffers. Considering the arms race going on in the world of college athletics, it’s guaranteed administrators noticed the hefty decision the SEC made Thursday.
After Ole Miss shocked No. 4 Tennessee on Wednesday night, the Rebels’ faithful gathered around the court at the SJB Pavilion until they thought the Vols had vacated the court. They were apparently wrong.
Now it’s going to cost the Rebels $500,000 and $850,000 because they did it in football after a win over Mississippi State. Even a rivalry game like the Egg Bowl isn’t immune.
There is a key paragraph in there for folks not wanting to read closely.
“We are being levied a $500,000 fine to bring our department’s total to $850,000 for the season. Additionally, SEC regulations dictate that this money be distributed to the opposing institution. With potential future fines continuing at a similar level, it is imperative that we take immediate action to end this behavior.”
Yurachek continues to resemble the Kevin Bacon character at the end of Animal House yelling “all is well” while things are going crazy, but the possibilities of paying a half-million dollars to the opposing team for the privelege may be a bridge too far.
Most fans won’t really care. It’s not their money and half of them couldn’t tell you the final score.
They are simply playing an expensive game of follow the leader. Ole Miss just got a sobering reminder of how expensive things can get.
“Entering the playing surface without permission is strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated. Penalties will be increased moving forward, including holding perpetrators on the court or field and revoking their game privileges on site,” Carter said. “We are also exploring other avenues to hold those that break the rules accountable. Simply put, this must stop.”
Since Arkansas usually waits until the bandwagon on anything gets rolling, then jumps under, it would be surprising to see any warning coming the way of Hogs fans from Razorback officials.
Surely a win over Mississippi State on Saturday wouldn’t rise to any level of running on the court. It’s State after all.
But the worst thing is the money would go to Starkville, Miss. That is something the Hogs’ fans probably couldn’t stomach.
Realizing they had just contributed to giving the Bulldogs half a million bucks to run onto the court could cause record liquor sales on Dickson St. all afternoon into the evening.
Arkansas could be proactive for a change. Hopefully that would involve more than a plea most would view as half-hearted with the general belief that nobody would really go anything except throw them out of a game that was already over.
But can the Razorbacks really afford any more of it?
