SEC Conference imposing a fine will create the opposite effect.

The Southeastern Conference fined schools for field storming in 2004, it didn’t work then and is it really going to do anything now? The SEC has ramped up fines yet again for field storming but the college football tradition doesn’t seem to go down easily. 

The SEC flexed their muscles when they announced that rushing the field will now cost a home team a whopping $500,000. Commissioner Greg Sankey defended the decision, stating “…the motivation was ‘field rushing is field rushing, the first time or the 18th time.’”

Recently, there’s been a steady rising increase of posts that showcase students rushing the field. This newfound popularity has college students waiting for the opportunity to cause chaos themselves. Contributing to the excitement,Vanderbilt’s students tore out and actually carried around goalposts after their upset against No. 1 Alabama this year. 

In the past, the fines were issued on an escalating basis — first time offenders paid $100,000, the second fine was $200,000 and finally $500,000 on the third offense. 

Despite this widely unpopular new rule, there was one interesting caveat: the SEC can waive the fine if the visiting team is allowed to safely return to their locker room with no contact from the home team fans. 

This loophole was enforced during the most recent basketball season as multiple teams required fans to wait until the visiting team made it to the locker room before storming the court. Will this really  work in football, with the blood-pumping adrenaline of the students? Even if you could somehow get the fans to wait, it takes a lot longer to get roughly 80 players back through a tunnel. . 

Let’s be honest, this rule is only going to give college students a bigger adrenaline rush when attempting to rush the field, and give them more of an incentive to keep the tradition alive despite the consequences — which the students won’t even have to pay. 

Sure, colleges may have more security and barriers in their stadiums which might keep the students from rushing the field for some games, but with the rage of a rivalry game or an upset of a No. 1 seed, I doubt barriers will keep dedicated fans at bay.

After Arkansas beat Tennessee last year, it incurred a $250,000 fine for students rushing the field and Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said, “I think the AD’s going to be mad, or maybe he won’t be. I don’t know, but right now, I don’t care.” 

If this is the kind of attitude we have from coaches, imagine the energy of riled-up, drunk college students in the stands.

Field rushing is tradition, and tradition is what makes people keep coming back for college football. This new rule may reduce field rushing, but it will only increase the special and rebellious nature of the tradition, ultimately creating the exact opposite effect of what the SEC wants.