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The Eye in the Sky: NFL’s Disruptive Use of Skycams

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It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a... Skycam. On October 5, 2025, the Dallas Cowboys (“Cowboys”) took on the New York Jets (“Jets”) at MetLife Stadium.[2] However, the Jets faced another unexpected opponent, the Skycam. Third and goal at the Dallas Cowboys’ endzone, Jets quarterback Justin Fields threw a pass to running back Breece Hall.[3] It deflected off a player’s helmet, before hitting Fox’s Skycam.[4] The Minnesota Vikings (“Vikings”) were similarly affected by the flying apparatus, although more directly. Minnesota Vikings’ kicker Will Reichard’s perfect field goal record was broken during their game against the Cleveland Browns after the football ricocheted off the camera wire.[5] The kick “appeared to be on line” before the interference.[6]


Clearing the Air: What is Skycam


Skycams are “computer-controlled, cable-supported camera systems” that operate on four suspended wires to capture aerial footage.[7]  Weighing approximately fifty pounds and traveling at thirty miles per hour, the Skycam provides “Superman-like angles possible for sports, concerts, and movies.”[8] They were first introduced to the National Football League (“NFL”) in 1984 but only gained real traction in the early 2000s.[9]

 

The NFL has praised the use of the Skycam for post-game analyses, citing the benefits of high definition and uniquely angled game film, injury prevention, and rulemaking.[10] However, it is questionable whether these benefits outweigh the cost of fair play and player safety.


Whose Right to Sight?


Skycams are currently owned by Kroenke Sports Entertainment and operated by sports broadcasting networks, such as NBC, CBS, and Fox Sports, through partnership agreements.[11] These broadcasting organizations then partner with the NFL to provide game coverage.[12]  Fox Corporation has solidified its position as the NFL’s premier sports broadcaster through an eleven-year media rights agreement, granting it the rights to broadcast prime-time games[13]. As such, Fox was operating the Skycams in question during the Vikings and Jets game.[14]


More recently, the NFL has begun to account for Skycam interference through the adoption of various provisions. The use of Skycams is confined to a minimum of “twelve feet above the playing surface.”[15] Additionally, the NFL has outlined in their rulebook that any loose ball that strikes a Skycam “will be dead immediately, and the down will be replayed at the previous spot” with the clock resetting to the time of the initial snap.[16] The interference is subject to replay, either by the officials’ initiative or a coach’s challenge.[17] The comprehensive guidelines governing the use of Skycams, paired with their overarching responsibility “to [eliminate] potentially risky behavior that could lead to injuries,” imposes a duty on the NFL to protect their players from unfair or unsafe use.[18] A breach of this duty could subject the league to liability.


Skycam: Defensive Player of the Year


While the Skycam provisions consider the obstructive repercussions of their use, the provisions fail to compensate for the loss of chance, which creates unfair gameplay. The Los Angeles Rams’ (“Rams”) quarterback Matthew Stafford emphasizes that just because there is an opportunity to redo the play doesn’t mean that “it [the initial play] wasn’t going to be points for one team or another.”[19] The Vikings ultimately won their game despite the technological interference; however, without a last-minute touchdown, the missed field goal would have been detrimental.[20] The impact of a completed Jets catch is immeasurable. The Jets lost by fifteen points.[21] A touchdown in the first quarter could have significantly altered the momentum and outcome of the game.


Moreover, a replay is only instituted if an interference is identified.[22] Replay officials failed to get involved after Fields’ throw inadvertently hit the camera, and the Jets did not challenge the play.[23] The NFL makes no distinction between a ball that directly hits a camera and “a pass striking a player then hitting the Skycam.”[24] Therefore, the down should have been replayed.

In the Vikings game, head coach Kevin O’Connell “didn’t notice anything” and had no one “in the booth alerting [him] that they saw” the kick hit the wire.[25] It wasn’t until subsequent review of game film that it became apparent there was some disruption.[26] Although mechanisms exist to remedy any undue broadcasting interference, their effectiveness depends on proper application and cannot fully offset the loss of a potential scoring opportunity.


Crash Landings


More importantly, the use of Skycams creates an unnecessary threat to player safety, as demonstrated by incidents on both collegiate and professional fields. Stafford recalled “blow[ing] the camera up” while warming up for the Outback Bowl and noted that he “didn’t even see it there, didn’t even feel it there.”[27] While immersed in a high-intensity, contact sport, players are not anticipating a fifty-pound camera to suddenly appear in their path of play.


A more alarming event occurred when the Skycam “came crashing down during the fourth quarter” of the 2011 Insight Bowl between the University of Iowa Hawkeyes (“Hawkeyes“) and the University of Oklahoma Sooners.[28] The wires holding the Skycam broke, and the camera almost hit Marvin McNutt, the Hawkeyes receiver.[29]  A similar incident occurred again in 2022 when a wire snapped during a face-off between the Buffalo Bills and the Jets.[30] The “Skycam camera whirled out of control and hovered low over midfield.”[31] The game was delayed for twelve minutes.[32] These incidents highlight the unpredictable risks inherent in the use of Skycams and the danger they pose to players.


To better serve the players and the game, the NFL should consider removing the Skycams entirely. However, if it is the NFL’s prerogative to maintain the aerial perspective, they should consider increasing safety and detection methods. This could include attaching motion sensors to the cables to avoid questions of interference. The NFL could also require that additional cables be attached to the Skycam as a fail-safe. The NFL has a duty to ensure player safety and uphold fair gameplay. The use of Skycams compromises the NFL’s obligations with little benefit in return.


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Mackenzie Brown (staff writer) Mackenzie graduated from UCLA in 2024 with a degree in Business Economics. After graduating, she began her career at Citrin Cooperman, an entertainment business management firm in Los Angeles. Outside of the Sports Law Society, she serves on the SBA and is a staff writer for the Intellectual Property Society. She has a specific interest in exploring the evolving rules, regulations, and litigation within the collegiate and professional football world, and how they shape the fairness and competitiveness of the game. 


References:

[1] Ameer Basheer, May 6, 2019, Unsplash.

[2] Mike Florio, Skycam Interference Rule was Misapplied in Cowboy-Jets, (Oct. 5, 2025), https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/skycam-interference-rule-was-misapplied-in-cowboys-jets

[3] Id.

[4] Id.

[5] Jayna Bardahl, Alec Lewis, Vikings Believe Will Reichard’s Missed FG vs. Browns Hit Camera Wire in London: Sources, (Oct. 6, 2025), https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6694489/2025/10/06/field-goal-camera-wire-london-vikings-will-reichard/

[6] Id.

[7] Mike Lukas, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the NFL’s SkyCam, (Jan. 23, 2025), https://www.wsn.com/nfl/skycam-ultimate-guide/

[9] Id.

[10] National Football League, (Last Visited Oct. 12, 2025), Impact of Television: How Television has Changed the Game, https://operations.nfl.com/gameday/technology/impact-of-television/

[11]  Jason Dachman, Altitude Sports Becomes First RSN to Feature Permanent Skycam with New Installation at Ball Arena, (Jan. 16, 2025), https://www.sportsvideo.org/2025/01/16/altitude-sports-becomes-first-rsn-to-feature-permanent-skycam-with-new-installation-at-ball-arena/#:~:text=Altitude%20and%20Skycam%2C%20which%20are,debuted%20the%20system%20on%20Dec. ; Brandon Costa, NBC Sports Confident with Skycam as Primary Game Camera for TNF, (Nov. 16, 2017), https://www.sportsvideo.org/2017/11/16/nbc-sports-confident-with-skycam-as-primary-game-camera-for-tnf-tonight/ ; Ken Kerschbaumer, CBS Sports Makes NFL History by Operating SkyCam from Afar, (Sep. 29, 2017), https://www.sportsvideo.org/2017/09/29/cbs-sports-make-history-by-operating-skycam-from-afar/#:~:text=CBS%20Sports%20this%20week%20completed%20two%20successful,tilt%2C%20and%20zoom%20functions%20from%20a%20location ; Ken Kerschbaumer, NFL Kickoff 2023: Fox Sports Expands Skycam Use for NFL Coverage; All Games in 1080p, A and B Games in HDR, (Sep. 8, 2023), https://www.sportsvideo.org/2023/09/08/fox-sports-expands-skycam-use-for-nfl-coverage-all-games-1080p-and-a-and-b-games-get-hdr-treatment/

 National Football League, NFL Completes Long-Term Media Distribution Agreements through 2033 Season, (Mar. 18, 2021), https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-completes-long-term-media-distribution-agreements-through-2033-season

[14] Id.,; Florio, supra note 2 ; Bardahl, Lewis,  supra  note 5

[15] Joe LeMire, Fox Sports’ Innovations for Super Bowl LIX Center on ’Most Important Camera in a Football Game,’ (Feb. 5, 2025), https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2025/02/05/flying-high-and-low-with-fox-sports-at-super-bowl-lix/

[16] National Football League, Official Playing Rules of the National Football League, (2025), https://operations.nfl.com/media/e4sneelu/2025-nfl-rulebook-final.pdf

[17] Id.

[18] National Football League, (Last Visited Oct. 19, 2025), Player Health and Safety, https://operations.nfl.com/inside-football-ops/players-legends/player-health-safety/

[19] Sam Amico, Rams’ Matthew Stafford Calls Out Skycam Issues After Two NFL Incidents on Sunday, (Oct. 7, 2025), https://fanbuzz.com/nfl/rams-matthew-stafford-skycam-nfl-rumors-news/#:~:text=Stafford%20recalled%20blowing%20up%20a,one%20team%20or%20the%20other.%22

[20] Bardahl, Lewis, supra note 5.

[22] National Football League, supra note 12.

[23] Florio, supra note 2.

[24] Id.

[25] Bardahl, Lewis, supra note 5.

[26] Id.

[27] Mike Florio, Matthew Stafford: We’ve Got to be Sure Skycam Doesn’t Impact the Outcome of a Game, (Oct. 7, 2025), https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/matthew-stafford-weve-got-to-be-sure-skycam-doesnt-impact-the-outcome-of-a-game

[28] NESN, ESPN SkyCam Crashes to Ground During Insight Bowl, Nearly Hits Iowa Players, (Dec. 31, 2011), https://nesn.com/2011/12/espn-skycam-crashes-to-ground-during-insightcom-bowl-nearly-hits-iowa-players-video/

[29] Id.

[31] Id.

[32] Id.

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