Sweets Are Bad for You…Don’t Jay Walk…Don’t Rush the Field – How Incentives to Change Crowd Behavior Have Often Failed

By Gil Fried, Professor, University of West Florida Way back in 2004, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) passed rules fining teams when their fans stormed the field.  It was hoped that these fines would change fan behavior.  It was assumed that schools would try to prevent or minimize the likelihood of fan crowd rushes to avoid having to pay a fine.  Crowds rushing the field were a concern not just for fans possibly injuring themselves, but also for players, coaches, officials,