Kiss cam

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US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama kissing for the kiss cam while Malia Obama and Joe Biden watch on the jumbotron during a basketball game in Washington, DC

The kiss cam is a social pastime that takes place during arena, stadium and court sporting events in the United States and Canada. A 'kiss cam' camera scans the crowd, and selects a couple, their images being shown on the jumbotron screens in the arena.

The kiss cam tradition originated in California in the early 1980s, as a way to fill in the gaps in play in professional baseball games, taking advantage of the possibilities of the then-new giant video screens.^[1]

When the kiss cam is in action, the audience may be alerted by a known 'kiss-related' song being played, and/or an announcer warning the crowd. The crowd attending then pay attention to the marked 'kiss cam' video screen. Normally, several consecutive couples are selected, and appear on the screen. As each pair appear onscreen, they are then expected to kiss. Additionally, sporting event staff may appear as couples who reject kisses or proposals in order to entertain or surprise the attending audience.

A kiss is traditionally rewarded by applause, clapping, cheers and whistles, whereas a refusal to kiss is booed. It is intended as a light-hearted diversion to the main event during a timeout, television timeout, or similar downtime.

Gay or lesbian couples may feel excluded from the Kiss Cam routine, or if included, may feel subject to homophobic expressions of disapproval from members of the watching crowd.^[2] Kissing under such public scrutiny can be severely embarrassing for either or both members of a couple, who may not be comfortable with public displays of affection to that level.

When two people of same sex were featured on the kiss cam, they used to be teammates or rivals.^[3][1] The first positive reaction by a gay couple caught on camera happened at AT&T Park in San Francisco in August 2011. The men embraced "warmly" on the kiss cam^[1] On May 2, 2015, a gay couple was applauded after they kissed on the kiss cam at Dodger Stadium.^[4]

The couple focused on by the camera may not be in a romantic relationship. They may in fact be brother and sister, friends, or not know each other at all. A platonic, perhaps awkward kiss often then results. Sometimes a refusal can generate a humorous twist for those watching.

The kiss cam screen often appears on television if the event is televised. The couple focused on may not wish their attendance together at the event to be widely publicized.

Some couples, although not wishing to kiss, feel intimidated by the crowd reaction, and feel forced to do so. Other instances may find the couple not noticing themselves on the screen, and the resulting inaction can be humorous or embarrassing.

In popular culture[]

On The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, O'Brien parodied the Kiss Cam in comedy sketches, focusing on unlikely couples, such as a hunter and a bear.

The Canadian group, the Arkells released a song titled "Kiss Cam".^[5]

The Great Khali once hosted a weekly segment in his wrestling appearances called 'Khali Kiss Cam', in which he would kiss a female supposed audience member. He was preceded in this by the late wrestler Rick Rude, who would kiss a woman selected from the crowd after his victories.

In Family Portrait, the finale of the first season of the US television comedy Modern Family, Phil is caught on a kiss cam, and feigning reluctance kisses Gloria, his step-mother-in-law.

References[]