Iowa State men’s basketball: Why no one should care about fans storming the court

Dec 13, 2013; Ames, IA, USA; Iowa State Cyclones fans celebrate after their game with the Iowa Hawkeyes at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State beat Iowa 85-82. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

The Twitter world always finds something to complain about. One of their latest bitch sessions came last night at the conclusion of the Iowa-Iowa State men’s basketball game when some of the crowd at Hilton Coliseum stormed the court to celebrate with the Cyclones after the victory. Apparently there are unwritten rules of when fans can and can’t storm the court.

Back in the day, I used to actually care about fans storming the court. Like many, I thought that it became all too common, it lost the meaning of what it truly meant for an underdog to upset a big-time opponent. A true David over Goliath moment.

Then I realized I was making rules about kids storming a freaking court after a game.

However, many people, even national sports writers and analysts like Seth Davis, still care.

I can’t begin to facepalm the amount of facepalms needed on all of this.

Storming the court is something that’s done out of the emotion of excitement. It’s fans celebrating with the team and with others after a win. Hell, every time a home team wins, fans shouldn’t be discouraged to do it. If I went back to Iowa State, I’d lead the fans out after a blowout victory over UMKC and jump around like a complete idiot.

The problem with court storming is that there are over 350 college basketball teams in Division I; it happens a lot because of, well, odds. We shouldn’t blast it because it happens often. Why should any one of us poo-poo on what fans are wired to do? Want to stop any of it? Then beat the Cyclones at Hilton Coliseum, that will shut all of the fans up and walk out feeling depressed.

But no, people are actually creating rules on when to storm the court. Here’s the great thing about that: not one fan remotely cares about any of that. Nor should those people creating the rules.

Most of those fans that stormed the court were camping outside days before tipoff. Does anyone really think that before an unranked Cyclones team lost to then seventh-ranked Michigan, they actually huddled together and were like, “Well, we are favored by a point and a half in Vegas. So let’s not storm the court guys.”

Stop with the dumb, made-up rules on when kids should and shouldn’t storm the court. If it bothers anyone or it really affects them or how they portray the fanbase at Iowa State, I feel incredibly sorry for them. I hope they don’t actually sit by the fans at an actual game and hear what some of them say when a call goes against the Cyclones.

Or, for that matter, sit by any home fans at any arena in the nation. I can only imagine how upset they’ll get over that if they can get this uptight about kids storming a court. Those same kids who probably went to Welch Avenue after the game, got drunk at their favorite bar with their friends, and went home with Fighting Burrito at three in the morning.

All is not lost, however. If I can’t get it through people that none of this really matters, then maybe the voice of the Cyclones can.