Video: Blinded by the light
posted at 10:05 am on November 19, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
Share on Facebook | printer-friendly
Laser pointers aren’t just for classrooms or suspected terrorists any longer. A Colorado Buffs fan tried blinding Oklahoma State quarterback Zac Robinson with a laser last Saturday, forcing Robinson to burn a time-out. The Buffs got their comeuppance on the very next play:
Either the laser had to have been on the sidelines, or someone hauled out an industrial-strength pointer into the seats. The football field is 53 yards wide, with probably another 15 yards at least between the sidelines and the stands. The angle looks almost straight-on, and the laser seems very focused in the video.
Thankfully, we can use this to prove the axiom that cheaters never prosper … until they figure out a way to succeed, of course. Want to bet that this starts happening with more frequency?
Update: Sorry about the error on sideline dimensions. It’s definitely 53 yards, sideline to sideline. It’s 17+ yards from sideline to hashmark, and hashmark to hashmark. Definitely a fumblaya on my part.
I’m also told that a green laser can go a long distance with great focus, making the stands a reasonable place for suspected origin. The longer one goes, though, the more difficult it would be to target it on the face shield. Of course, they may have been trying this all during the game and finally succeeded once.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Comment pages:
That’s the ultimate dick move. Wonder if it was a reflection off of stadium lights/cameras somehow? Doesnt look very laser pointery.
hippie_chucker on November 19, 2008 at 10:11 AM
Looking at the brightness and diameter of the beam on his jersey, I’d say that was a pretty kick-ass laser being used. Sure as hell not something you can pick up at Office Depot.
nukemhill on November 19, 2008 at 10:11 AM
A standard football field is 160 feet wide, incidentally.
wccawa on November 19, 2008 at 10:13 AM
That’s a very serious industrial-strength laser. I had a friend at college who had one that could burn your skin, but from the looks of it, the one used in the game was even more powerful than that.
That person should be arrested.
jimmy the notable on November 19, 2008 at 10:16 AM
Adjective of the week, right there.
Trust me, more than a handful at CU games are. Sometimes the players, too. They’re quite a bunch.
Captain Scarlet on November 19, 2008 at 10:19 AM
Sideline to sideline is 17 yards, I believe. That’s what I meant. 160 feet sounds right stands to stands.
Ed Morrissey on November 19, 2008 at 10:21 AM
Green laser pointers are about 50x more powerful than the usual red ones, and have a range of nearly 3000 meters — no conspiracy theories needed to explain how it reached the quarterback.
zerosheep on November 19, 2008 at 10:21 AM
Yes, we’ll be seeing more of this. :(
toliver on November 19, 2008 at 10:22 AM
Football field = 160′ wide, over 50 yrds.
Matticus Finch on November 19, 2008 at 10:26 AM
I wonder if those disgusting Vandy fans from that wretched state to the south of Glorious Kentucky did that to the refs in Saturday’s game to make him call that illegit touchdown and those 3 “roughing the kicker” BS calls.
Oh no wait, that’s something else that’s green that made him do that.
Vandy fans, I hope you guys end up playing a team like Florida in your ill-gotten bowl eligibility. I’d enjoy watching that fag Tebow clean your clocks again.
leetpriest on November 19, 2008 at 10:27 AM
,
Ed: American football fields are 160 feet sideline to sideine, or to be exact, 53.3 yards
Google football field dimensions
RobG on November 19, 2008 at 10:30 AM
A regulation field is something weird like 53 and 1/3 yards wide.
Labamigo on November 19, 2008 at 10:30 AM
Laser pointers are common with amature astronomers and are used to replace or supplement the spotter scopes attached to the main instrument.
Limerick on November 19, 2008 at 10:31 AM
Fixed.
Now if only I could fix LSU…
Karen_VA on November 19, 2008 at 10:32 AM
Yet another thing to screen for when fans are entering the arena. Something like this will ultimately get classed as a weapon.
Sad!
Boomerang!
BoomJunkie on November 19, 2008 at 10:33 AM
Yea, the football field is 53 yards wide…it may be 53 and 1/2 yards, either way its defenitely NOT 17 yards. 17 yards is the size of a 3 lane highway….think about it.
My guess is that it was coming out stands behind the endzone (usually where the student sections are)
RedBurns on November 19, 2008 at 10:36 AM
When I read the headline, for some reason this song popped into my head – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnwM9QIt5CQ
MechFighter on November 19, 2008 at 10:37 AM
Yep, green laser, and had to have had some type of sighting device to hit the face from that range, so premeditated.
Remember folks, this is College… a place with all kinds of inventive minds left free to explore the boundaries of science…
People in the stands know who did this…
Romeo13 on November 19, 2008 at 10:37 AM
A Laser Dazzler is the size of a small flashlight and can be purchased all over the ‘net.
bloviator on November 19, 2008 at 10:37 AM
Thats exactly right.
RedBurns on November 19, 2008 at 10:39 AM
Well, the quarterback would certainly have seen where it was coming from. Lasers are strongly columnated light, but there are still fringe effects.
I suspect that it wasn’t hand held, given how well it stayed on the player, but either braced against something or on a tripod.
Count to 10 on November 19, 2008 at 10:46 AM
[RedBurns on November 19, 2008 at 10:36 AM]
It should be easy to see. Does the area of the field from the goal line to the 20 yard line look more square than the area from the goal line to the 50 yard line.
(But for picky people, National Federation design standards call for 160′ width.)
Dusty on November 19, 2008 at 10:47 AM
People can be such as*holes.
You can’t really automatically penalize the opposing team because you don’t really know who’s doing the laser pointing.
Dave Rywall on November 19, 2008 at 10:48 AM
I’m not sure what’s going on here. First, he is behind center and his own line as the shot showing the “laser” is over the shoulder of a defender so the light had to have come from the end zone. They are on the oppositions 30 yard-line so that put the light at least 50 yards away and most likely 70-100 yards. That is not too great a distance for even the cheapest laser pointer but… my laser pointer has a beam width of about 1/8″ at 3 feet and not much if any more at 15′. The “laser” in the video is easily 2-3″ across and very bright from under 100 yards away. I don’t think any laser beam would spread that much in only 100 yards as that would defeat the whole purpose of a focused laser light.
I can’t say for sure but I don’t think it was a laser. That’s not to say who ever did the deed is not a complete jerk.
vegasguy on November 19, 2008 at 10:48 AM
Dude, an Arena Football field is wider than that (85 feet = 28 1/3 yards).
I sure hope the people running the Coleman/Franken recount get their numbers better than this.
The Monster on November 19, 2008 at 10:48 AM
looks more like a mirror reflecting light.
Phoenician on November 19, 2008 at 10:49 AM
Mounted to a pair of binoculars you can be faily accurate in pointing over large distances.
Limerick on November 19, 2008 at 10:50 AM
Sideline to sideline is 17 yards, I believe
Ummm, no. Take a look at http://www.ncaa.org/champadmin/football/football_field.gif, which shows side-to-side to be 160 feet (53.3 yards) wide.
I R A Darth Aggie on November 19, 2008 at 10:51 AM
2 miles
Limerick on November 19, 2008 at 10:52 AM
The only light we’ll be blinded by is the emanations from his Obamaness (may he blessed and be the name for many male children).
He will end all duplicity (save his own which will be for our own good).
O hail the day!!!
Amendment X on November 19, 2008 at 10:53 AM
I watched this happen and was very disappointed in the fan’s conduct! Oh well, at least we pulled out the win! Go Pokes!
Dr. Conservative on November 19, 2008 at 10:54 AM
I have a laser pointer on my desk that could do that. 3-5 mW is all you need at that distance in that level of lighting.
People who are talking about laser defocusing have no idea what they’re saying. Lasers are *coherent*, not *parallel*, photons. There is an inherent defocusing rate (like with all wave optics), and the smallest “waist” of the beam is usually near the laser. Go take a class. No, Star Wars is not authoritative.
Also — no sight needed. Honing in on something is easy. The unsteady hand is clear from the beam jitter. This was not sighted or mounted. And a laser pointer is easy to conceal.
Yes, I am a physicist.
Prufrock on November 19, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Not necessarily.
A green laser goes a LONG way.
drjohn on November 19, 2008 at 11:01 AM
Astronomy classes use these things for pointing out stars and features in the sky, lights up the air moisture and dust … Green laser pointer, that’s what it looks like to me.
They can get pretty bright and reach over a mile in range. The beam may have been purposely defocused to not harm, hence the big spot. The spot is oblong, so it likely came from low in the stands, probably near the end zone, range maybe 75 yards, not the sidelines.
The technology is not that hard to obtain and fiddle with.
I think the person doing it probably knew what he was doing and made the beam wide on purpose to not do harm but annoy. First class jerk, but what do you expect in college these days.
tarpon on November 19, 2008 at 11:07 AM
I think anyone using a laser in such a fashion should be prosecuted and severely punished.
Green lasers are very useful to amateur astronomers because the beam makes a very visible ray of light that seems to extend to infinity. There is nothing better for pointing out the location of objects in the sky. I fear the lasers will end up getting banned because of the actions of a few stupid, inconsiderate jerks.
backwoods conservative on November 19, 2008 at 11:08 AM
It jerks like the guy with this laser who are going to wind up getting them classified as hazardous implements that can only be bought with a license, etc.
In other words, you won’t be able to get one…
gridlock2 on November 19, 2008 at 11:14 AM
That was a green laser, too. With the size of the beam that was on the quarterback, that was something from a workplace, or else it was a fan with a hell of a lot of extra cash.
Either way, I hope someone noticed and kicked the living crap out of him and broke the damn thing.
MadisonConservative on November 19, 2008 at 11:14 AM
Football field is 17 yards wide.
Refused to relocate from Detroit to Michigan.
I’m pretty sure Ed is switching to decaf today…
;)
Rhinoboy on November 19, 2008 at 11:18 AM
Well, then let us consult you for your professional opinion as to these two questions:
(1) How much of a safety threat was that laser? I imagine it could temporarily blind someone, but could it cause permanent vision damage?
(2) How accurately can you locate the source of a laser based solely on seeing the light reflecting off its target?
Outlander on November 19, 2008 at 11:19 AM
After a little looking around at their campus map, Google Earth, etc.: My money says it came from the physics building right across the street from the stadium.
db on November 19, 2008 at 11:29 AM
I’d enjoy watching that fag jackass Tebow clean your clocks again.
leetpriest on November 19, 2008 at 10:27 AM
Fixed.
Now if only I could fix LSU…
Karen_VA on November 19, 2008 at 10:32 AM
Being a graduate of UF and a proud Gator, I realize that loyalties run very strong in the SEC. However, Tim Tebow is neither a “fag” or a “jackass”. As everyone knows by now, Tim’s family are career Christian missionaries to the Phillipines and have dedicated their lives to the service of our Lord Jesus Christ. Say what you will about his football abilities (keeping in mind that he smoked both Vandy and UK this season), but there is no reason to use derogatory terms to describe him as a person.
rhbandsp on November 19, 2008 at 11:35 AM
Oops, almost forgot – Tebow and the Gators kicked azz against LSU too!
rhbandsp on November 19, 2008 at 11:36 AM
Next time it happens the NCAA or NFL or whatever football league is in control need to penalize the other team or school. I don’t know if you can see this when it happens or only later on tape, so it may be hard to punish at the time it occurs.
Of course you always have to determine if it was the other team or their fans which did or not.
For instance if I know the opposing team is going to get a 15 yard penalty for this I might be tempted to laze my own player to get the extra 15 yards.
I don’t know what can be done other then having football players dressed in full Star Wars Stormtrooper gear.
Just A Grunt on November 19, 2008 at 11:45 AM
Are there legal issues in this? Seems like there are but I’m not sure what they would be since no life was in jeopardy. Either way, I hope the penalty is stiff if they ever catch the perpetrator….
DL13 on November 19, 2008 at 11:46 AM
Apparently it’s been a while since you been to a game
ConservativePartyNow on November 19, 2008 at 11:48 AM
Hey, now. There’s no need to denigrate the entire state based on the snobs in Nashville. You guys should know to pray for a little rain when you play Vanderbilt. The players and fans can’t go out in it, they’ll drown.
meltenn on November 19, 2008 at 11:53 AM
Colorado fans also put batteries in marshmellows and throw them at opponents, in and out of the stands. You don’t want to be a visiting band at CU…
llano on November 19, 2008 at 12:01 PM
Yup, everything lines up just right.
Pic of tower from field
Campus map
Unfortunately, I don’t have a way to post a screen cap from Google Earth with 3D buildings turned on, but the angle looks perfect.
db on November 19, 2008 at 12:04 PM
It’s NOT an industrial laser guys. An Industrial laser is a MASSIVE thing, about the size of an automobile, and capable of burning through metal at close range. At football field range, an industrial laser would cause skin burns in an instant.
THIS is what the jerk was using. A common green laser pointer. Green laser light goes much further than red light, and is much brighter, due to the light wavelength.
wearyman on November 19, 2008 at 12:09 PM
That would be about right. A 5 mW laser easily has the range to do that, and unlike more-powerful green lasers, it is not necessarily visible in mid-air.
That is why laser pointers are banned from professional sports stadiums (can’t speak to college ones). Of course, given that it’s the size and shape of a pen, good luck in stopping the contraband.
steveegg on November 19, 2008 at 12:17 PM
Eric Holder will solve this.
SlimyBill on November 19, 2008 at 12:24 PM
In both American football and soccer, the home team is responsible for ALL the fans. You don’t have to know who operated the laser to penalize the home team. This is true if fans come on the field, throw debris on the field, interfere with the game (laser in the eyes) or any other infraction except exuberance. Colorado should be sanctioned after the fact – but who would know the difference with all the sanctions that so-called university has been through in the past few years. (Academically can you say Ward Churchill?) EVERYBODY in the big 12 knows that Colorado has a remarkably unsportsmanlike program.
I believe it is a criminal act, according to the CFR which governs lasers, to deliberately try to or accidently blind someone with any laser. Even our “dreaded baby Killing” military doesn’t use lasers to blind the enemy. Kill them maybe, but not blind them.
Old Country Boy on November 19, 2008 at 12:29 PM
Ed, maybe your Steelheads only play 17 yards of the field but the rest of the teams use all 53 and a third.
oakpack on November 19, 2008 at 12:33 PM
Bingo.
And for those of you who might disbelieve, check out the action shots on that laser pointer I linked. Specifically THIS one. That is easily as far as a football stadium, and you can see how far the light beam is going.
wearyman on November 19, 2008 at 12:34 PM
Odds are this person worked for ACORN and voted for odopey.
dinkyjackson on November 19, 2008 at 12:48 PM
It’s clear that the light came from Norman.
For those of you in the OKC area, the laser was pointed into the CU stands, where James Hale was sitting, thus allowing said laser to careen off of his dome, into the eyes of Zac Robinson.
These facts are undisputed.
OhEssYouCowboys on November 19, 2008 at 12:59 PM
ED, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, IT’S NOT 17 YARDS FROM SIDELINE TO SIDELINE!
1 yard = 3 feet
17 yards = 51 feet…for a width of a high school football field, much less a college or pro?
Bob Beamon is the world record holder for the long jump at 29 feet and 2 1/2 inches in 1968 Olympics. That’s just shy of 10 yards, almost 30 feet for Bob. It’s NOT 17 feet, ED.
Admit it, Ed. You made an elementary school math error. Correct your mistake, swallow your pride, move on.
Here’s a link that graphically shows all dimensions in feet for a high school football field. It *CLEARLY* shows 160 feet from sideline to sideline, not from stand to stand.
Kokonut on November 19, 2008 at 1:04 PM
More on football dimensions for college and pro if y’all are interested.
Kokonut on November 19, 2008 at 1:06 PM
Can’t wait for USC to humiliate the best of the SEC in a bowl game.
John the Libertarian on November 19, 2008 at 1:28 PM
LSU was playing Ole Miss in baseball 15 years ago and an out of rotation pitcher from Ole Miss was in the stands reflecting sunlight off of his watch in the eyes LSU players. Mostly the pitcher.
He was ejected from the stadium.
roux on November 19, 2008 at 1:41 PM
I like your theory! I would also like to include Jenny Carlson as a possible suspect!
Dr. Conservative on November 19, 2008 at 1:44 PM
LOL, Dr. C!
Glad to see another Poke onboard!
OhEssYouCowboys on November 19, 2008 at 1:46 PM
Thats a green laser…used in Astronomy for pointing out stars and constellations. These things can go for miles. This looks like a 5mW version. You can get 40mW versions on ebay but those are too powerful to buy commercially. Even the 5mW version (which is what I own) would easily travel from high in the stands to players on the field.
Conservative Physicist on November 19, 2008 at 2:03 PM
The refs should have awarded a free time out to OSU after watching the replay. This kind of activity should cause penalties to the hometeam. Not in yardage necessarily but at least in a free timeout. We saw this happen in real time so the refs could have seen it in replay if they hadn’t seen it live.
Christian Conservative on November 19, 2008 at 2:09 PM
wearyman on November 19, 2008 at 12:34 PM
I agree, plus these two:
powerful
powerlink
Miss_Anthrope on November 19, 2008 at 2:21 PM
Ed, it has been reported here locally in the Denver media that the Physics department building at the University of Colorado has a direct line of site to the field at Folsom Field. There is an R & D lab on campus that deals in laser research, LASP.
Football coach Dan Hawkins has his call-in radio show tonight on 850am KOA and it will be interesting to see if he is asked about this.
olympian2008 on November 19, 2008 at 2:38 PM
Hmmm… that sounds vaguely familiar…
db on November 19, 2008 at 3:43 PM
ED, you’re getting their. For a college football field’s dimension from hashmark to hashmark is not 17+ yards but 13+ yards.
What I linked was clearly a high school football field dimensions, not a NCAA standard football field.
Kokonut on November 19, 2008 at 3:53 PM
their = there
Kokonut on November 19, 2008 at 3:54 PM
Ouch. We just throw beer.
meltenn on November 19, 2008 at 5:01 PM
Standard 5mW 532nm laser pointer.
Back in 2004, some fool back east decided that it would be a good idea to use one to point out a commercial aircraft from his backyard. What people don’t realize is that if you can see the beam, so can every body else. The pilot dutifully notifed the tower that he was getting lit up, passing on the location. A little while later, the idiot was getting aquainted with his new roomie in the house of many bars.
Which is why when I’m playing with any of my visible spectrum toys (532nm in 5mW, 10mW, 25mW and 60mW flavors, 405nm at 50mW and 635nm at 50mW) outside at night, I make darn sure that they are not pointed anywhere near an aircraft.
ajrystad on November 19, 2008 at 7:51 PM
…yet MORE proof sports fans need to get a life.
tx2654 on November 19, 2008 at 8:22 PM
Comment pages: