# Football Q: Has the "sky cam" ever interfered with play?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-q-has-the-sky-cam-ever-interfered-with-play/278292>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 6, 2004, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-q-has-the-sky-cam-ever-interfered-with-play/278292 "2004-12-06T01:38:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2004, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-q-has-the-sky-cam-ever-interfered-with-play/278292/21 "2004-12-06T15:18:32Z")

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> [@asterion](#):
>
> I think the real question is, what if a punt hits a 747?

That depends. Is it an arrival or departure flight?

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**Author:** ![aahala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2004, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-q-has-the-sky-cam-ever-interfered-with-play/278292/22 "2004-12-06T16:12:44Z")

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There was a pretty humorous bird incident during the televised Australian Open tennis tornament a couple of years ago.

During a tense doubles match, one of the players hit and killed the bird and another player immediately ran up to the it, dropped to the ground and crossed himself as if he was giving it last rites.

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**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2004, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-q-has-the-sky-cam-ever-interfered-with-play/278292/23 "2004-12-06T16:31:27Z")

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Slightly off-topic, but if you ever have the chance to watch a football game with Skycam on a big-screen HD TV, do it. Looks absolutely amazing.

**Duke** , bravo.

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**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2004, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-q-has-the-sky-cam-ever-interfered-with-play/278292/24 "2004-12-06T18:21:10Z")

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Ah ha! [Here’s](http://www.nfluk.com/features/features-topten-display.php?id=910) the origin of the “Gondola Rule”:

> [@](#):
>
> This rule was actually invented during a game after Oakland Raiders punter Ray Guy hit the overhanging scoreboard at the Superdome in New Orleans at the Pro Bowl in 1976 with one of his booming kicks. If a ball bounces off the ‘gondola’ that hangs from the middle of the roof, the punt would be retaken and the play does not count.

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**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2004, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/football-q-has-the-sky-cam-ever-interfered-with-play/278292/25 "2004-12-06T18:38:34Z")

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Winfield - it was a gull, not a pigeon. You got the wrong member of the general taxonomic category “flying rat”. Search under “seagull” for accounts of the incident.

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