Editor's Note: The Claims Coach rejoins the PropertyCasualty360.com family with fresh insights and strategies for claims and risk management professionals. Be sure to check back for his blog posts, as well as Quinley's thought-provoking monthly column, which resumes with the forthcoming January 2012 issue of Claims Magazine.

Many moons ago, while I was an undergraduate at Wake Forest University, notable sports victories were celebrated by students by “rolling the Quad.” Dorms would empty as undergrads sprinted toward the tree-lined Quadrangle, armed with rolls of toilet paper. Crowds would then proceed to “TP”–“toilet paper” the branches of the stately magnolia trees. (Sometimes they streaked, but that's another story entirely.) Athletic victories for the Demon Deacons were rare in those days, so this quaint custom was an irregular event.

Celebrating college sports victories has, in the words of TV chef Emeril, “kicked up a notch.”

At the close of the December 3, 2011 football game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State (OSU), delirious celebratory OSU fans swarmed the field. The in-state rivalry is an annual match-up known as “Bedlam.” That label is well-earned.

The game had national college football implications, but the after-game stampede also has clear risk management implications. About a dozen people were injured in the process. Some were trampled, while others jumped down a 15-foot drop to get to the field.

Rushing the field—or, in the case of basketball, the court—has become a bit of a tradition in college sports after a signature or milestone victory. That milestone may become a liability and risk millstone, however, for the college or university that allows it to happen.

Doubtlessly, there will be the wave of inevitable lawsuits against Oklahoma State University, alleging negligence in security and crowd control. Plaintiffs may argue that such a swarm was reasonably foreseeable, and that the university either could or should have taken more steps to prevent this. The university will try to show that it took reasonable precautions. It may argue that there is virtually nothing that a college can do to absolutely thwart the determination of thousands of enthusiastic students to rush the field.

This episode has a number of risk management implications, not just for colleges but for all of those who organize and manage special events. These events can be football games, rock concerts, or Black Friday retail specials. Implications may include:

What are reasonable precautions for colleges and universities to take in preparation for such eventualities?
Is such a fan stampede reasonably forseeable by the school?
What responsibility do the fans play in assuming risk of injury when they swarm the field or take a leap off the stands?

Unfortunately, in many cases, the rush to the field may only be surpassed by the rush to the courthouse.

Have you ever attended a sporting event or concert that got out of hand or made you feel at risk of harm? Do you think the responsibility lies with the organizer or with the participants? E-mail me at kquinley@cox.net and be sure to read my monthly column in Claims Magazine.

Special Reports /

On-Field Celebration: It's Called 'Bedlam' for a Reason

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