She Was Mortified
Louisa was mortified, frozen to the spot. She couldn’t believe he had done this to her, and in front of everybody too. He was supposed to be her boyfriend; her soulmate. Had he forgotten about the past four years they spent together? She sat soaked in the cruel laughter and her head began to spin.
There was no way she was going to live this down. People would be reminding her off of this when she’s 80, sat eating her mush in a nursing home. Then suddenly, Louisa knew she had to make him pay. She had to make him feel the same embarrassment and shame he caused her to feel. And she knew exactly how she would do that.
The Perfect Life
Louisa Allen had the life every girl dreamed of. She had the perfect apartment in the city, a job that she loved, and a devoted and loving man by her side.
Yes, Louisa thought nothing could ever go wrong. But one day, everything changed for Louisa. And her whole world turned upside down.
Going Strong
Louisa had been in a relationship with Marc for four years now. He was a fantastic guy who knew how to treat Louisa right. He often showered her with gifts and he always made sure to tell her she looked beautiful.
The couple knew they were both in it for the long run. They thought nothing could ever break, or come between them, but they had no idea how wrong they were.
A Birthday Gift
You see, Marc was an avid basketball fan, and he often spent his weekends cheering on the Brooklyn Nets. But Louisa didn’t mind. Basketball was Marc’s ‘thing’, just like shopping was hers!
So when Marc’s birthday soon approached, Laura thought of a gift that she knew he would love. But she had no idea how much this gift would change everything.
A Surprise
It was the morning of Marc’s birthday, and he quickly unwrapped his gift from Louisa. To his surprise, it was two tickets to the next game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Brooklyn Nets! Marc was ecstatic!
“I’m coming with you,” she said with a smile. He hugged her and told her how excited he was. But the couple never could have predicted what was coming.
Ready For The Game
The day of the match arrived and Louisa and Marc arrived at the arena and made their way to their seats.
Armed with beer, snacks, and a ton of enthusiasm, the couple were ready to sit back and watch the game. But for some strange reason, a terrible feeling hit the pit of Louisa’s stomach.
A Kiss Cam
Once the game started, a kiss came started to cycle through a bunch of doting couples as usual. And it seemed that all of them were happy to get in on the action and amuse the watching crowd.
But then the kiss cam made its way to Marc and Louisa. Louisa felt butterflies in her stomach, but she had no idea what was coming.
Coming Closer And Closer
When the kiss cam centered on Louisa and Marc, Louisa adjusted herself, ready for her kiss cam debut while Marc quickly diverted his eyes to his bottle of beer he gripped in his sweaty hands.
What was his problem? It seemed that he was far more interested in his beer than the game, the kiss cam, or even his girlfriend. “Maybe he hasn’t noticed it,” Louisa thought to herself. Little did she know how wrong she was.
Uncooperative Boyfriend
Louisa, still smiling, tried to make her boyfriend look up at the big screen. But Marc stared intensely at his drink. He also began to shrink in his seat, as if wishing he could disappear at that moment.
Louisa could feel anger boil inside her. Then, she decided to do something that she'd later regret.
What Was His Problem?
After desperately trying to get Marc's attention and feeling thousands of eyes on her, Louisa felt like an absolute fool. She'd been shamed in front of everyone! Well, she'd show him.
With her face flushing bright red and her heart racing, she quickly turned to the guy on her left. She knew what she could do to get her revenge. But should she?
Getting Her Revenge
The guy to her left was drinking soda, minding his own business. But when Louisa turned to him and put forth her proposal, he didn’t seem to hesitate and swiftly accepted to participate in her scheme.
Perhaps it didn’t hurt that she was easy on the eyes, either. While her unsuspecting boyfriend still nursed his beloved beer, she did something that shocked the whole stadium.
Awkward Situation
Before the Kiss Cam turned away, the woman planted a smooch on the lips of the man to her left. Realizing that she had kissed a stranger to get revenge on her crabby boyfriend, the crowd burst into laughter.
The three women in front of them, bemused by the spectacle but too close to the action for comfort, looked simultaneously horrified and entertained. The woman’s boyfriend, though, appeared anything but amused.
She Did The Unthinkable
After the initial shock and disbelief at what his girlfriend had just done, came the anger. He berated her, but she remained calm and looked pleased with her revenge.
So Marc instead stood up and stormed away. Meanwhile, the lucky stranger resumed sipping on his soda, wearing a giant smile on his face. The scene created such a sensation that it was preserved for posterity.
Going Viral
This unique moment of Kiss Cam revenge was uploaded to the Atlanta Hawks’ YouTube channel, and it soon went viral. Having amassed more than six million views, people had different takes on the matter.
Like with many other wild things that get shared online, the skeptics arrived without delay and began casting doubt on the story.
Sparking Controversy
“Seems horribly fake,” remarked a commenter by the name of GrandChamp. Another called the people in the video ‘mediocre actors’ and suggested the kiss had been entirely staged.
Others went so far as to claim the whole episode had been a case of ‘guerilla marketing’ to promote a product – perhaps Sprite, the soda that the kissed gentleman was seen drinking. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time.
Doing It For The Drama
Some stadium production teams have been known to pose as couples who reject kisses or even marriage proposals in order to create drama.
But usually the purpose is nothing more insidious than just to keep the audience surprised and entertained. It’s also not too far fetched to believe a person could spontaneously kiss a stranger for the benefit of the Kiss Cam. And eyewitnesses defended the veracity of the incident.
As Real As It Gets
A user by the name of Niki Blalock declared to have been at the game, stating, “I was there. It wasn’t fake. My favorite part of the game! He walked out of the building!”
Other commenters agreed, puzzled by the insistence that the occurrence was fake. Perhaps one of those deniers was the boyfriend himself, trying to save some face after being savagely burned in front of millions of people.
Keeping Audiences Entertained
Today, the Kiss Cam is a ubiquitous feature of many sports events – but this wasn’t always the case. In fact, they only came about in the 1980s when teams began adding giant video boards called ‘jumbotrons’ to their stadiums.
To keep fans entertained during breaks in the game, they showed live shots of the audience cheering, celebrating, and yes, kissing. The Kiss Cam as we know it, though, didn’t appear until a decade later.
The Birth Of A Ritual
In 1993, the Florida Marlins debuted as part of the MLB. During their inaugural season, the production team at Joe Robbie Stadium created the Kiss Cam tradition in three easy steps: play a romantic song, point the camera at a couple, and show them on the screen framed by a heart.
The ritual stuck, and soon the Kiss Cam became not just a part of sports, but also popular culture.
A Pop Culture Favorite
Many movies and TV shows have had plots that revolve around the Kiss Cam, whether it’s played for laughs or as part of a budding romance.
In Modern Family, Phil Dunphy finds himself having to give an awkward kiss to his attractive mother-in-law, Gloria. But the Kiss Cam has given us plenty of memorable real-life moments as well -- and Louisa's revenge on her uncooperative boyfriend remains a firm favorite.