A joyous moment turned sour in an instant thanks to one father’s terrible decision.
At the conclusion of Monday’s College Football National Championship game in Houston, Texas — a 34-13 victory for the Michigan Wolverines over the Washington Huskies — one Michigan fan tried to storm the field with his young son and join the celebration.
A 12-second clip posted early Tuesday morning to the social media platform X showed the boy in fear, anguish and disbelief as security officers led his father away in handcuffs.
Sports writer Trey Wallace, who covered the championship game for Outkick, posted the clip.
“This Michigan fan decided to rush the field with his son, which did not end up well. One of the highest security events and he made a run for it,” Wallace wrote in an accompanying post.
This Michigan fan decided to rush the field with his son, which did not end up well.
One of the highest security events and he made a run for it. 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/D6ygtVJOb6
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) January 9, 2024
One cannot watch the video without feeling sorry for the boy.
And many have watched. As of Wednesday morning, Wallace’s day-old post had more than 4.4 million views.
Should the father have stormed the field?
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In fairness to the father, he did try to console his distraught son.
“Hey, don’t worry. Don’t worry,” the man said as multiple officers surrounded them.
Furthermore, college football fans often storm the field in droves following a victory.
In fact, here are Michigan fans storming their own home field following a 30-24 win over their hated rivals, the Ohio State Buckeyes, in November:
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As Wallace explained on Outkick, however, the national championship game is a different matter altogether. There, officers take security seriously.
“If you aren’t familiar with the protocol, each person who has a credential has to be scanned before getting onto the field to capture the postgame celebration,” Wallace wrote.
Thus, maybe the father got caught up in the excitement and simply tried leading his son in a familiar ritual.
On the other hand, everything about this particular setting should have urged caution.
Given the national stage and heightened security, perhaps one should wait and see how others behave before storming the field.
Furthermore, even in the absence of such security, perhaps one should think twice before leading a child into a potential melee.
In any case, people do make mistakes — sometimes idiotic and humiliating ones.
From a Christian perspective, the father now has a chance at redemption, and the son has something to forgive.
We wish them both well.
