For the second time in my Fizz career, Syracuse Athletics has pulled off a big enough win to get the student section to rush the playing surface. The first came after the NC State football game in October 2022, after which I proceeded to write this article.
To this day I still stand by that take. The Wolfpack were playing in the wake of news that Devin Leary, perhaps the best QB in the ACC that season, was out for season. Jack Chambers came nowhere close to holding Leary’s pedigree, and Syracuse won rather easily. The Orange were also favored to win that game by pretty much every notable betting site, which added insult to injury. I’m all for celebrating a victory that you should have gotten in the first place, but I still don’t think storming the field was necessary.
When that article was published and my opinion was known, let’s just say the response wasn’t exactly positive. “L take” and “there’s still time to delete this” were a few of the more popular ones. Someone called me a killjoy, another responded with the “Old Man Yells at Cloud” meme (that did make me chuckle a little bit). Being a relatively new member of Team Fizz at the time, it was the first truly controversial story I remember writing.
Which brings us to last night. North Carolina beat Syracuse by 36 when the two teams met in Chapel Hill a month ago. That can’t be stated enough. Not many people gave the Orange a fighting chance in this contest. The Tar Heels have the talent and roster construction to compete for a national championship next month. It made all the sense in the world to celebrate in that manner.
But still, something still didn’t feel right. Fizz alumni Nathan Dickinson summed it up nine years ago.
“Storming the court would do nothing more than point out this team’s mediocrity and failure to live up to expectations.”
Nathan Dickinson, February 13, 2015
This quote doesn’t completely nail it down, but it brings up an interesting point. Victories over top 10 teams inside the Dome used to be the norm. If those glory days are to return, last night was a major step in the right direction, but to me, the court storming was a sad reminder of how things used to be.
Maybe this is all skewed by the sports fandom I’m very lucky to have been born into. I grew up a Patriots fan, so not only have I grown accustomed to playing in big games, but I’ve gotten so accustomed to the point where I even expect to win them. But remember, Syracuse fans were once in a very similar position. With that, the big takeaway is that if there was ever a game to storm the court after a victory, it’s not difficult to admit that last night’s is the one. James Taylor’s “Carolina In My Mind” was on loop as I walked home from the Dome yesterday because it’s an easy win to be happy about. Perhaps I’ll never understand the science or logic about rushing the court or field after a game.
