black cat monday night football

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A black cat running on the field was the star of Monday Night Football

Bad luck for the New York Giants...

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Stacey Ritzen

Internet Culture

Posted on Nov 5, 2019   Updated on May 19, 2021, 11:44 pm CDT

All holy hell broke out during Monday Night Football on Nov. 4, when a black cat ran out onto the field at MetLife Stadium and temporarily delayed the showdown between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. The feisty feline could not be stopped—would not be stopped—as the players and refs stood around, helplessly watching it do its kitty cat thing.

Ever the consummate professional, sports announcer Kevin Harlan rolled with the punches, giving a detailed rundown of the cat’s progress on the Westwood One broadcast—and even fitting in a shout-out to the game’s sponsor.

“He’s walking to the three… He’s at the two, and the cat is in the CDW red zone,” Harlan announced. “Now a state trooper has come on the field and the cat runs into the end zone! That is a touchdown!”

“And the cat is elusive, kind of like Barkley and Elliott,” he quipped, referring to Giants running back Saquon Barkley and Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.

The cat then briefly fled into the stands before returning to the field, then running off into the tunnel by the end zone.

Suffice to say, the players were rattled. After the Cowboys went on to win by 37-18, defensive end Demarcus Lawrence later told Sports Center that he knew the black cat was a bad omen for the Giants.

“I was like, man, game over. If a black cat runs on the damn field on a Monday Night Football game, a black cat, you might want to call it quits, bro. Y’all’s luck is terrible,” Lawrence joked, adding that he “hates” cats.

In other words, bad news for the Giants, who actually had been leading the game, pre-cat. Everyone else, on the other hand, couldn’t get enough of the black cat, who you might even say was the MVP of Monday night’s game, if the response from sports fans on Twitter was any indication.

https://twitter.com/SurvivinAmerica/status/1191540745318096898

Some had jokes and memes about the black cat:

https://twitter.com/FIDLAR817/status/1191543778684874754

Even the preemptively-maligned CATS movie Twitter account got in a joke. “I told y’all you were gonna believe.”

The black cat was likewise a big hit for the four-legged friends watching at home, as several people recorded their own cats (and dogs) reactions to the wild card on the field.

For anyone wondering how the cat got there in the first place, Sports Illustrated journalist Madelyn Burke inquired with building security. While a cat getting onto the field is clearly uncommon, MetLife Stadium is home to a number of resident stray cats.

“They usually come out after the game, people feed them, etc.,” she tweeted. “They live in the bleachers, I’m told this one must have gotten startled out by fan noise.”

As of Tuesday morning, the black cat was still on the lam, however, MetLife Stadium officials have promised to take it to a veterinarian if and when it is located. Godspeed, El Gato.

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*First Published: Nov 5, 2019, 10:53 am CST

Stacey Ritzen

Stacey Ritzen is a reporter and editor based in West Philadelphia with over 10 years' experience covering pop culture, web culture, entertainment, and news. You can follow her on Twitter @staceyritzen.

Stacey Ritzen