Opossums tend to get a bad rap because they're not the most friendly looking creatures, with their hissing mouths full of sharp teeth and naked, rat-like tails. But the North American marsupials are actually beneficial to humans in that they control the population of pests like cockroaches, rats, and mice, as well as eating Lyme-disease-carrying ticks.
However, one place an opossum is definitely not welcome is on the field of an ongoing sporting event. But that's precisely what happened in Lubbock, TX on Thursday night during the college football game between TCU and Texas Tech. And although the poor animal was dragged from the field, visibly protesting, the moment has since gone viral on the internet and even sparked a meme.
"Rodents of unusual size showing up in Lubbock," remarked the laughing commentator. "That just happened at the end of the first quarter. We had an opossum on the field around the 15-yard line, he was not happy about being escorted out of the stadium."
"I'm glad that guy had the stick with the thing on it," added a second commentator. "I didn't know that was at every event, that was impressive."
As the video began to make its way around the internet, people couldn't get enough of the opossum, sharing the video with their own commentary. "FREE HIM HE DID NOTHING WRONG," one user wrote, all-caps, while The Athletic senior writer Chris Vannini noted that it was "apprehended quickly and dragged off like a perp walk."
FREE HIM
— jj skolnik (@modernistwitch) November 3, 2023
HE DID NOTHING WRONG https://t.co/07q4ub2mmU
POSSUM ON THE FIELD AT TEXAS TECH
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) November 2, 2023
Apparently apprehended quickly and dragged off like a perp walk ???? pic.twitter.com/f0I2utvDYg
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation hilariously noted that it was the "most 'UNHAND ME' opossum hiss ever hissed."
the most "UNHAND ME" opossum hiss ever hissed https://t.co/hNRoQTwvVo
— Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (@OKWildlifeDept) November 3, 2023
As the opossum became a meme, it was compared to "when dad pulls you out of bed in the morning before school" by FOX College Football, "how i gotta be dragged out somebody’s business," by another user, and so on.
When dad pulls you out of bed in the morning before school ???? pic.twitter.com/4CMwTMxNpf
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 2, 2023
how i gotta be dragged out somebody’s business pic.twitter.com/mwPwXGal7T
— ????❄️???????? Jolly Confidence Activist ????????❄️???? (@ForeverElSanto) November 3, 2023
What I look like when my wife is dragging me out of Dave & Busters https://t.co/NMLJeRrB38
— Preston Tompkins (@Prest0nT0mpkins) November 3, 2023
The story had a happy ending though, which was documented by visual journalist Annie Rice.
"Ok y’all: A possum ran on to the field during the Texas Tech-TCU game, was detained by Animal Control AND had a pet from Tech president Lawrence Schovanec," Rice posted.
Ok y’all: A possum ran on to the field during the Texas Tech-TCU game, was detained by Animal Control AND had a pet from Tech president Lawrence Schovanec. pic.twitter.com/KAf9tU27qY
— Annie Rice (@annierice_photo) November 3, 2023
Run free, little friend.
