It was a historic night on Tuesday when the South Carolina men’s basketball team knocked off a #1 ranked team for the first time EVER when they beat Kentucky. Watching the highlights, I thought it was pretty cool when the fans stormed the court. Pure jubilation – it’s something that’s beautiful in sports, right?

According to the SEC, not really.

They have a rule in place, for well-founded safety reasons, that fans can’t storm the court and since this was a second violation for the Gamecock program, the SEC fined South Carolina $25,000. That’s certainly not chump change.

I can see where the SEC is coming from, because there have been some injuries caused in the storming of different courts/fields, and I’m trying not to offend those who have been hurt in those incidents by writing this blog, but $25,000 for storming the court? THAT’S LAME.

Just last night, I was watching the highlights again for another game, and again the fans stormed the court. It was a different conference though, so I haven’t seen any big-time fines come down in the sports headlines just yet.

I just think the SEC is taking away something that makes the college game unique – that bond the student-athletes have with the student body. The students view the athletes on the court as representative of the school that they go to, so the pride is tremendous when there’s a historic win like South Carolina over Kentucky. Or in the NCAA tournament when there are upsets a-plenty.

I’m hoping the SEC will stay a lone wolf in all of this. I hope they’re not a trendsetter because seriously, what the SEC is doing is essentially taking the “madness” out of “March Madness.”

What? You really enjoy just watching the coaches shake hands at center court?

I know what I’d rather see, and it’s not that.