I agree with donald that okay, rushing every game is going to get lame fast. But every time fans charge the court after a big win, hordes of naysayers crop up, complaining.

These kids clearly love their team, and going to a big school that cares about its sports teams (as good or bad as they may be), I know that oftentimes students’ lives revolve around big home games. If they’re that psyched up about a game, why not let them show it? Was the Syracuse upset not big enough? It rejuvenated the team and the campus. Maybe Mister D can weigh in here.

I’ve definitely watched games at home that are so thrilling that I’ve stood up for most of the second half, and fallen to my knees at the buzzer. That’s about all I can do at home. If you’ve got a thousand-plus college students in house during such a game, what else would you reasonably expect them to do other than rush the court?

Maybe most naysayers have been out of college too long to remember what it was like to be 19. And that includes Simmons. I quote his “rules” from his most recent column:

“In case you missed it, the Syracuse fans charged the court after toppling Georgetown on Monday night. The NCAA needs to pass a new rule: Students are only allowed to charge the court if their team (A) just won a tournament, (B) upset the No. 1 team in the nation, (C) advanced to the Final Four, or (D) beat Duke and made Coach K nearly cry during the game to the point that he looked like a quivering ninny. Under no other scenario is court-charging acceptable — if it happens under any other circumstance, you forfeit the game. Case closed.”

Think about this. What if you’re a regular old Div I team? You’ll still have passionate fans, you’re still the best thing going on at campus. But you’re not going to upset a #1 seed, you’re not going to win a tournament, you’re not going to get to the Final Four, and you’re (probably) not going to beat Duke. But an upset is an upset and a great victory is relative; for some, it’s winning the NCAA championship, for others it’s getting out of the first round, and for others, it’s a big win that just puts their team on the map.

But what Simmons is essentially saying is “if your team is great, sure, you can go crazy. If they’re not, you’re not allowed to get as emotionally involved.” That sounds like a terrible idea for college sports in general.