I have never understood this tradition.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051023/ap_ ... post_death

Me either, and I think you will be starting to see more security, to stop it from happening.

i dont think any security is going to be able to stop thousands of fans from running onto the field.

its a shame stuff like this happens, but i dont think theres any way to prevent it.

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Sure there is, it doesn't happen in the pros, they keep fans off the field. I know it is not a tradition in the pros but they can easily stop it if they really wanted to.

Its also not a tradition in the Pros because the people who are sitting in the good seats at NFL games are more mature adults, who go to games with their family, while college games are full of drunk college students who think nothing bad could possibly happen to them. There really is no way for security to stop this from happening, but what schools can do, is get the hinged goal posts that security officals can pull a pin out and the goal post folds down. If there is nothing to rip down, they wont do it.

I am talking about fans going on the field when the game is over. In college basketball the fans always rush the court when there is a big upset, not in the pros.

It used to happen in pro sports too, especially baseball but when they decided they didn't want it to happen any longer it was done.

you said the magic word...."tradition".

there is no way any type of security could "easily stop it if they wanted to".

Have you ever seen who sits courtside at an NBA game, or seen who sits courtside? Those seats typically go to people in suits and people with families. You just wont see people rushing the playing surface in pro sports because the culture is totally different.

i am not sure why I am even going on with you on this. If they made the penalty for going on the court strong enough they could put an end to it. Yes, they could not catch everyone but those that did get caught would never do it again.

when carolina beat miami last year, it would have taken an act from God to keep us fans off the field... you can't stop it, so do yourself a favor and stay out from underneath the goal post

Same for when we beat Miami in 2003. I was sitting in the front row in one of the end zones and cops started lining up with police dogs around the field about halfway through the 4th quarter. There were announcements over the PA saying that any fans entering the field would be prosecuted. We talked to the cops and they were cool. They knew that there were thousands of people sitting behind us who were pushing forward, so they told us to jump onto the field and stay away from the goalposts (even though we have the hinged ones that can be lowered). It was probably safer for us to go onto the field than it was to stay in the front row with everyone behind us pushing and shoving to get to the field.

if they electrified the goal posts that may keep them off

Now I would pay to see that. I could see some drunk frat guy with his coat and tie on getting thrown back five yard by large volt of electricity.

They've actually gone new-age with these goalposts now. They've got some of them on motors, so you don't even have to touch them to lower them, you just flip a switch and they go down. It was interesting to watch when I saw it earlier this year (I forget which game though).

wow now there's an idea

They should just grease up the posts.

That's what you always say.

Sure they could. Lafayette and Lehigh is the most played football rivalry in the country. For years after each game the fans of the away team would try and tear down the goalposts and bring as much of the goalposts as they could back to their campus. They would put up wooden goal posts for the game and they would always end up in pieces. Of course the home fans would do everything they could to keep any part of the goal post from leaving the field.

About 15 years ago they decided to put a stop to it. Now the goal posts are cemented into the ground. They make students pay to go to the games and they use that money to pay extra security. Plus they film the crowd and anyone caught on tape doing something stupid gets suspended from school for a semester. They also start the game at like 11 o’clock so everyone has less time to get drunk before the game.

Haven't some schools installed reinforced goal posts that are virtually impossible to tear down?

They have collapsible goal posts at WVU, because it was such a tradition and the fans were getting hurt. So now as soon as the clock is 00:00 the goal posts come down. So the fans have to fall back old traditions like setting things on fire.