By Dr. Richard P. Borkowski

Richard P. Borkowski, EdD, CMAA, is a sport safety consultant based in Narberth, Pa. The former Director of Physical Education and Athletics at the Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pa., his most recent book is titled Coaching for Safety, A Risk Management Handbook for High School Coaches, published by ESD112.

A high school basketball player in Arizona sued his school because it "failed to protect its athletes from foreseeable dangers." He was knocked down when spectators surged onto the basketball court in 2004 after a major win, and suffered a broken jaw and torn carotid artery, which resulted in a stroke. Three years later, he is still recovering.

After the University of Minnesota-Morris football team defeated Crown College in 2005, students rushed the field and brought down a goal post. One of the school's own basketball players was struck by the falling goal post and died from his injuries.

At my former school, a field hockey player scored a winning goal and was swarmed by her teammates. As sticks mixed with hugs, the hero was hit in the head by a teammate's stick, suffering a bad bruise and a cut. There was no major injury or lawsuit, but it taught me a huge lesson.

The current theatrical antics and acrobatics to "express" oneself following a victory, first down, or even putting on your uniform correctly has created a new category of risk management: celebration injuries. A study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine in July 2005 found that, out of 152 injuries sustained by male soccer players in Turkey between the ages of 17-29 over a two-year period, nine were from celebrating a score. And these types of injuries also happen to coaches, security personnel, and fans.

Joy should be a part of sports, but unnecessary injuries should not. Putting in rules for celebrations can make you the bad guy, but believe me, watching an injury occur after play has stopped is much worse.

Team Rules
Piling on, tackling, or lifting a teammate after a score has the greatest potential for injury. Some conferences and specific sports are recognizing this and creating rules to stop these antics. Each team should also have its own policies regarding what are acceptable celebrations.

Overall, the rules should forbid reckless contact among teammates, made specific to the sport. For example, athletes should not be allowed to bang helmets, hit teammates with a hockey stick, or throw teammates in the swimming pool. In all sports, athletes should not be permitted to pile on top of someone in celebration or attempt body slams.

These rules should also extend to celebrating with fans. I am surprised no spectator has been smashed in the face from a football player diving into the stands after a touchdown.

Coaches should understand and embrace these policies, then pass them along to their players. Coaches often think that talking about celebrating will jinx their success, but they can couch it in a discussion about sportsmanship. When they remind athletes, "We are a class team and we don't rub it in--we hand the ball to the official after a score," that's the time to add, "We also don't jump on teammates or go near the stands."

It often helps to point out to athletes that some of these rules are in "the book." For example, the NFHS rules for baseball state that no one shall leave the dugout/bench area for any unauthorized purpose, including celebration.

While such policies are important for keeping athletes safe from their own elation, they also set the tone for the fans in the stands. If a team keeps its composure during a heated contest, it's more likely that fans will too.

Part of the Crowd
Researchers are starting to study crowd behavior, which offers insight into how to curtail our fans from out-of-control celebrations. So far, studies have found the following:

• The consumption of alcohol and/or drugs are major factors.

• The anonymity of a crowd makes people do things they would not when acting as an individual.

• Wanting to show a sense of affiliation with the team (that one is contributing to the team effort) can lead to misguided or dangerous actions.

• Research at Cardiff University in Wales between 1995 and 2002 suggested there are more assaults in the city on game days. When the home team won, assaults increased. Researchers suggest the increase was due to a feeling of self confidence, assertiveness, patriotism, and drinking.

The first step is straightforward: Prohibit and strictly enforce a no-alcohol rule at all contests. Put strong punishments in place for those caught breaking this rule.

The second step is to find a way to remind fans that they are individuals, responsible for their own actions and not just "part of a crowd." Some schools are doing this by working closely with an organized student fan section. Administrators encourage these students to support the team in a positive way and celebrate in an appropriate way. It often works well for student-athletes on out-of-season teams to be the leaders of these fan groups.

Singling out individuals as trouble-makers and asking them to leave the game can make a huge statement about individual responsibility. Documentation and informing fans of this potential measure must be in place, however, before exercising such a restriction.

Big Games
Of course, for all your home games you need a security plan in place that is well thought-out and in written form. But you must also identify contests with greater potential for postgame celebrations such as competition against an archrival, a championship game, or a contest that has a history of problems with the opponent.

In those cases, take extra precautions. This includes communicating with the opposing team beforehand. In some cases, the two schools set up an opportunity for their fans to meet in a friendly atmosphere before the game. This puts a face on the opposition and reminds everyone of their personal responsibility.

Big games may also require hiring extra security personnel and placing them in visible locations. Asking coaches and teachers to sit among the crowd is another good idea.

During the week, remind students of their responsibility to act appropriately during the game. Through in-school announcements and posters, explain to them that you will not allow inappropriate chants, signs, and noisemakers.

During the game, use the public address system to remind everyone to act appropriately and to stay off the field or court. PA announcements can also go a long way toward setting the proper tone in an arena. Make sure the announcer welcomes the visiting team's fans, has a list of sportsmanship reminders to read throughout the game, and thanks the officials.

Think about strategies for getting players off the court or field as soon as the final whistle blows. Legendary college basketball coach Dean Smith required his players to leave the court immediately following a game. Some felt it was unsportsmanlike, but it was not--the handshakes took place later in the locker room. Coach Smith just wanted to avoid possible celebration injuries to his players.

Fighting Fans
A big question is: If a crowd is poised to storm the court or field, do you try to stop them? Unfortunately, there is not an easy answer. Sometimes, the situation becomes worse if security is fighting with fans, and it's better to let the storm happen.

Police attempting to control a football crowd at the University of Connecticut in 2002 used mace and threatened fans with dogs. The control strategy only added to the ugliness of the scene. Also in 2002 at a Clemson vs. South Carolina football game, the local sheriff was injured trying to prevent students from bringing down the goal post.

Whenever possible, create barriers to the playing field. This can include walls between the field and the stands or even a long line of security personnel.

If this is not feasible and the surging crowd cannot be stopped, get the players into the locker room as quickly as possible. Then, through PA announcements, let the fans who do not storm the court know how to leave the arena safely.

An extreme yet sometimes necessary way to stop unruly crowds is to simply not allow any fans at a game. This situation occurred several months ago in Philadelphia. The grandstand remained empty because of prior incidents between the two high schools.

Celebration injuries are not yet an epidemic. However, if we remain insensitive to this issue, it could become a new athletic injury category. The keys are to be aware of what can happen, establish rules, and enforce them.