At 5:30 a.m., a line of students had already assembled outside Gate 25 at the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. It was the day of the Texas-Alabama game, and students began to show up early in the morning with lawn chairs to guarantee a good seat for the 11 a.m. kick off. 

The gates were set to open at 9 a.m., and students waited outside the stadium for hours in the heat. Emergency services stood by, offering help to students who passed out or felt sick. Eventually, the gates opened and students were herded inside in a chaotic rush, not even scanning the tickets they paid a hefty fee for. 

The lack of organization and security before the Alabama game created a dangerous environment. Texas Athletics must prioritize student safety during game days by properly communicating with students about lines, having more barricades and enforcing heavier security.

Due to high demand, Texas Athletics sent out an email to Big Ticket holders about important student entry information regarding the Alabama game. The email said students could begin lining up outside Gate 25 at 5:30 a.m., and Big Ticket holders could enter at 9 a.m. Per University policy, camping out wasn’t allowed.   

Mechanical engineering junior Srikar Mamillapalli arrived at the stadium at 3 am on Saturday morning.  

“5:30 a.m. is when things started getting a little more agitated, … there was no sense of, ‘This is a line.’ At 5:45 a.m. when they opened the initial gate, … that’s when hell broke loose,” Mamillapalli said. “It was very difficult to hold people back and yell at them to not run over us because people were falling down and getting hurt.” 

This is not the first time in Texas Athletics history that dangerous situations have occurred before games. In 2019, before the LSU game, videos surfaced on social media depicting a stampede near the student gates as people rushed to enter. 

In order to improve safety and limit the risk of a student stampede, Texas Athletics needs to prepare for students well in advance by setting up organized lines and barricades. They must also enforce the policies they create. If students are not allowed to line up outside the gate before a certain time, the security staff hired by the University should not let them.

“(Texas Athletics) wants a completely packed environment, where there’s people yelling and going crazy. They want to be able to get as much money as possible from the hype,” Mamillapalli said. “And I think that’s the unfortunate part because students’ safety is often compromised in situations like this.” 

John Bianco, senior associate director for Texas Athletics, declined to comment on this story. Unfortunately, the disregard for the health and safety of the student body is evident by the lack of preparedness before each game. Texas Athletics must better serve students by keeping them safe. 

Although Longhorn EMS, first aid stations and other emergency services inside DKR are available, these resources aren’t preventative measures. Texas Athletics shouldn’t just provide resources in case of health crises; instead, they should better protect students’ safety from the beginning. After all, students are paying to be there. 

“Sports brings us together in a way nothing else can,” Mamillapalli said. “But it’s honestly disheartening that one of the biggest things everyone is connecting on from last week is their misery.” 

Abbe is a communications studies and government junior from Fort Worth, Texas.