The cheerleaders work very hard and not only have one "playing" season, but more like three.  They cheer football, men's AND women's basketball games.  They try to get the crowd cheering, but really much of the crowd is lame and refuse to cheer.  I for one cheer loud with them and people look at me like I am crazy....HELLO!! You are suppose to cheer with the "cheer leaders"!   The cheerleaders can only do so much and what they are permitted to do!  The cheerleaders workout with strength coaches twice a week, practice twice a week, and have football games once a week and many more during basketball season.  Also, do you realize all of the "extra" work they do as well....Like all of the PR, charity, and community work they and the mascot do?  Give them some CREDIT please!!  I personally view them as one of the most overworked, under-acknowledged programs at Ohio. 

The Bobcat Black seats are a great idea and I think it adds an awesome perspective/view of the game!  The cheerleaders, I am sure will more than likely have to  move to the end of the court and it will work well for all.

Now, Stand Up and Cheer! Go Bobcats!

You underestimate how many of the O Zone's chants the cheerleaders start.

Look what you people did. This board is so much less interesting when borna and I agree.

I agree 100% about the things Joe and borna said.  I have always thought the cheerleaders should be on the baselines for hoops, though. 

What happens to Dan's  #1 O Zone seat?

Nothing.

I am 100% fully pro-cheerleader.

But, anybody who remembers our undergrad years might know why.

Didn't want to start a new thread, so I'll bring this one from the dead to discuss the court storming logistics that had been brought up before.

I was in the "Slavin Seats" (Monroe Slavin's Bobcat Black seats that he is auctioning... Thanks, Monroe!) this morning. These are the first 2 seats, right next to the 110... as in every drum cadence makes you question if you're going to get brained with a drumstick.

So, we win, for some reason (different argument) here come the students. They obviously filter toward the ends, so they're coming right over my back in seat 1, which is fine. I'm fat, they aren't going to move me much.  In addition, since the game ended on that end, the team was celebrating with the 110.

However, a 110 clarinet player behind me standing in her spot got absolutely clobbered and sent down 2-3 rows to the floor, at the feet of the percussionists. The students just kept coming, so she was not getting up. It ended up that me and 2 percussionists had to basically block everyone so that this girl could army crawl/be pulled by other percussionists out of the way.

After the dust cleared she was sitting up holding her head, I wouldn't rule out concussion. She declined the offer for us to get her help, but she was still sitting there with other 110 members holding her head as we left.

So, I guess my question is are the seats the problem, or is it something else?

There were children in Black seats right down from me. What if they were in seat 1-2? They would have been demolished as well.

My inclination is to go into a "we rush the floor for the weakest crap" (they're 5-7 MAC, favored by 10+, "we're on TV" has been a valid excuse for years as we get on more because we're good, etc.) argument and suggest if it was reserved for times when it was actually warranted, this would be an issue maybe once every 1-2 years.  However, it may be something else.

Does anyone think there is an issue here in any aspect? If so, what do you think it is?

I don't think it's a problem of "we rush the floor for the weakest crap."  This game came right down to the wire with a top spot in the conference at stake.  A near buzzer beater 3 point winning shot warrants it, especially when it's above one of the top dogs (usual top dogs) of the conference.  Heck, I knew it was going to happen if it came down to a buzzer beater, it just does.

Instead I think it's the seats themselves and their location.  Common sense says you do not put seats directly in front of a student section.  Student sections are known to be rowdy and in wins like this to go full throttle onto the court.  The marketing department has seen the student section rush several times before they came up with the concept of the seats and put them where they are now.  If you are going to point fingers, don't do it at the students, because when you are running high on emotion, anything could happen.

That's not an excuse to trample someone. Luckily, it didn't get to that today.

I don't want to see them go anywhere, trust me. It was just unfortunate to see people get absolutely laid out. I remembered this thread was here, so I wanted to revisit it. Makes for good discussion.

You are right in saying that.  I should have taken that into consideration.  Though I'm not sure anything other than an outright ban (good luck to whoever wants to enforce that) on court rushes would work.  Large masses of people are going to stop for very few things.  People who are directly behind those who fall might try to stop but if the rest of the mass doesn't see it, they're not stopping (I've had this happen to me before, I know).  They're just going to keep pushing because they want to get moving.