When Animals (and Insects) Take Over Sports Events

Animals taking over sporting events can be adorable, but it can also be scary. At any rate, animals don’t care if games are happening—if they want to saunter onto a field of play, they will.

Animal interruptions are rather commonplace, but these went beyond. These animals were so intrusive they pretty much took over, at least for a moment.

Whether it’s harmless bugs messing with a pitcher’s focus or a flock of seagulls making an outfield its personal bathroom, these animals became the stars of the show.  

Honorable Mention: Outrageous Insect

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This beast of a bug didn’t exactly take over the game, but he definitely took over James Rodriguez’s sleeve.

During the 2014 World Cup, Brazil defeated Colombia 2-1 in the quarterfinals. Colombia’s one goal came on a penalty kick from Rodriquez.

But the real star of that goal wasn’t Rodriguez—it was the massive, terrifying creature that sat on his arm as he took the shot.

Seagull Barrier

One way to take over the game is to stop a possible score. 

Ryan Higgins of Middlesex is quite aware of this fact, as a seagull got in the way of a potential six during a game against Sussex.

Dog Wants Attention

Dogs just want love and attention, right? During a soccer match in Argentina between Belgrano and Quilmes, one dog invaded the pitch to get it.

A Quilmes player spent a good amount of time petting the dog before another carried him off the field.

Taking on an Alligator

Given that the 2014 Zurich Classic of New Orleans was in well, Louisiana, an alligator on the green doesn’t seem quite so far-fetched.

When just this thing happened to James Driscoll, his playing partner, John Peterson, took control.

The alligator’s presence near Driscoll’s ball was impeding the progress of the round, so Peterson took matters into his own hands by pushing the animal into the pond with a rake. Apparently an efficient round of golf is more important than personal safety?

Hit by Pitch

They say lightning doesn’t strike twice, but in the case of birds getting hit by pitches, it apparently does.

Of course everyone remembers when Randy Johnson smoked a bird with a fastball. But minor league pitcher Jon Maciel provided a modern twist on the famous incident in July 2014.

Maciel of the West Michigan Whitecaps threw a pitch, and a bird got in the way. The game was delayed briefly to remove the bird, and though similar, the dramatic effect was not nearly as intense as Johnson’s exploding dove.  

Joba's Bugs

Amy Sancetta/Associated Press

Remember that time bugs attacked Joba Chamberlain? It was 2007—the New York Yankees were playing a division-series game in Cleveland.

These particular bugs, midges, are apparently common in Cleveland, coming off of Lake Erie. They are harmless but caused a real distraction in that particular game.

In fact, the Yankees, who led at the time of the attack, ended up losing. And Chamberlain had to take a bug-spray break twice.

Animal Bite

Sometimes animals invade the pitch to get love and attention, and other times they are in attack mode.

In March 2013, something called a marten bolted onto the field during a Swiss soccer game between FC Thun and Zurich.

One player, Zurich’s Loris Benito, attempted to stop the madness, but he paid the price by enduring a bite to his finger.

Dodger Bees

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When midges attacked Joba Chamberlain, at least there was consolation in the fact that those bugs are harmless.

You know what are not harmless? Bees. Bees took over the outfield prior to a June 2014 game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Luckily, the crew at Dodger Stadium is versed in bee removal, and a crisis was averted.

Bees Again

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Bees also took over a New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox spring training game.

The grounds crew tried to get the problem under control with hoses, but the game was delayed for some time.

The highlight of this incident occurred when Mark Teixeira somehow found two containers of honey laying around the clubhouse and started waving them around.  

Rory McIlroy and a Pheasant

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During the second round of the 2014 Open Championship, a pheasant decided to get in on the action.

The bird ran across Rory McIlroy’s line on the eighth green, stealing the show, if only briefly.

McIlroy sunk the putt anyway, but the point was made. Pheasants do what they want.

Seagulls at At&T Park

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Playing baseball games in a park on the water makes for beautiful scenery, but it also has its downfalls. An influx of birds called Western Gulls were really giving the San Francisco Giants problems in 2013.

San Jose Mercury News reported that during some games, hundreds of these birds would land on the field and even, uh, do their business on top of some fans. The Giants were reportedly looking into humane ways to solve the problem—one option was to increase the instances of loud noises such as fireworks.

Pigeons at Wimbledon

When pigeons threaten to take over at Wimbledon (apparently a common enough occurrence), there is a plan. And that plan’s name is Rufus the Hawk.

Rufus serves as a one-bird pigeon police at the tennis tournament, but not to worry, he’s not hurting anyone.

The hawk's handler, Imogen Davis, told Redditors, “Rufus is a nonlethal deterrent which is based on the fact that pigeons have an innate sense of fight or flight, and they don't hang around very long to fight when they see his talons!”

Uncatchable Rooster

Taking over soccer games appears to be a favorite pastime for many animals, roosters included.

A February 2014 match between Israeli teams Bnei Yehuda and Hapoel Tel Aviv was delayed for several minutes when one such bird made in onto the pitch. In fact, the rooster was intentionally placed on the field by Bnei Yehuda fans, according to the International Business Times.

Several security guards attempted to catch the nimble bird with umbrellas, much to the merriment of fans looking on. They never did catch him, however, and the game went on when the bird got bored.