Dan Patrick, radio host, and former ESPN host, notably entered the debate on his recent episode of “The Dan Patrick Show.”
Patrick opines on the traditional courtstorming trend in college basketball, addressing its potential endangerment of athletes and its subtle endorsement by the media.
Patrick keenly expressed his worries about this practice during Monday’s episode, drawing attention to recent concerning involving inadequate security measures.
He conveyed his belief that urgent action is necessary to prevent significant accidents in this passionate atmosphere, particularly during March Madness.
"The networks have celebrated this, they've showcased this. Every highlight during championship week when I used to work at the mothership would show the kids storming the court. That's the end of a highlight."
-DP discusses court storming in College Basketball pic.twitter.com/D92G7eS6KJ
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) February 26, 2024
As a former ESPN employee, Patrick pointed a critical finger at the broadcasting company’s role in promoting courtstorming.
According to him, ESPN’s coverage of courtstorming after minor matches like Lehigh overcoming Bucknell has somewhat glamorized the act, leading to its increasing prevalence.
“Well, ESPN helped glamorize this” stated Patrick, “Because when it was championship week, and all of a sudden Lehigh beats Bucknell, and the students rush the floor, it’s like, ‘That’s awesome; hey, let’s lead SportsCenter with that. Nothing says March Madness like storming the court.’ Alright, so now, if you’re a student, you want to be on TV; you want to be on the floor. ‘Hey, I was there.’ That’s what happens. Now, it just feels like that’s the norm. Like you’re supposed to do that.”
Dan Patrick: ESPN helped ‘glamorize’ court storming https://t.co/f0iE3SH06F pic.twitter.com/fWnOqpyshW
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 27, 2024
Patrick, drawing a parallel, cited the NFL formerly making light of heavy hits, leading to preventable accidents down the line.
He expressed the possibility that courtstorming could follow a similar path. “How do you stop kids from wanting to run the floor?” asked Patrick, “Because we’ve accepted it; we’ve celebrated it.”
The media, through its disproportionate representation, has made it appealing for fans to storm the courts, but at what cost?
“The networks have celebrated this, they’ve showcased this,” he added. Every highlight during championship week when I used to work at the mothership, they would show the kids storming the court. That’s the end of a highlight. It’s just standard procedure.”
