Kiss Cams have been a staple of fan entertainment at sporting events in the United States for years. You know the drill: Somebody in a control booth directs a camera onto two people in the stadium or arena and those two people are pressured to kiss one another. It's used to highlight romantic couples, but it's also regularly used as a source of comedy, often taking advantage of allegedly uncomfortable situations to ellicit laughs and cheers from the audience.
Recently the Kiss Cam has come under fire as people allege it promots both homophobia and sexual assault. The New York Mets recently changed their Kiss Cam policy after being called out for using homophobia to embarrass players of opposing teams by showing two men on the Kiss Cam together. And Syracuse University has stopped using the Kiss Cam all together after a letter-to-the-editor claimed it encourages men to sexually assault women.
Are Kiss Cams harmful? Good old-fashioned fun? Or just plain dopey?
