Getting Dumped after the Kiss Cam: What I Learned about Being Part of Sports’ Briefest Love Story
When I was in middle school, I opted out of a game of Spin The Bottle at a friend’s birthday party because I didn’t want my kissing skills (or lack thereof) to be on display for all the world to see. Even though it was a room of maybe eight or nine peers, the voyeurism and judgment felt a little like auditioning for American Idol (before I even knew what that was), and I was definitely more of a William Hung than a Kelly Clarkson.
With my middle school days long behind me, I eventually became more comfortable with the idea of public displays of affection, even at sporting events with the Kiss Cam. During the 2013 Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Finals, I, a Pittsburgh Penguins fan, sat next to a cute Boston Bruins fan and actually wanted to kiss a stranger in front of thousands of people, let alone 10. I hoped that the Kiss Cam would pan to us and two rivals could bridge the gap by sharing a smooch. The camera didn’t, of course, but it would have been a great story, which is what sports’ biggest social game is all about: tales of love. One fleeting peck on the jumbotron makes everyone assume it’s happily ever after.
It’s cynical of me, but I often wonder what the over-under is with couples who get on the Kiss Cam and whether they stay together. There has…
