A Bald Eagle Lands on Fans at Cotton Bowl

For many high-profile sporting events, venues like to spice up the national anthem by incorporating a fly-over from the country’s mascot. During the rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” that proceeded the highly anticipated Goodyear Cotton Bowl between Notre Dame and Clemson, however, the designated bald eagle proved why he is the symbol of freedom as he took the liberty of detouring from his designated course and landed on some random Notre Dame fans at AT&T Stadium. The bird’s freestyle flight pattern quickly became a topic of social media discussion with many spectators dubbing him the game’s MVP.

NFL fans also saw this an opportunity to take a shot at the Dallas Cowboys who play in the AT&T Stadium and have a bitter rivalry with NFC East foe, the Philadelphia Eagles.

The bald eagle has since been identified as a bird named Clark who was born in St. Louis, MO at the city’s World Bird Sanctuary. It was also noted that pre-game flyovers are merely Clark’s side-hustle while his day job is to teach people about the importance of conserving America’s natural wildlife.

Also, Clark’s pit stop in the Notre Dame fan section might have been the most excitement they had the entire night. With a trip to the national championship on the line, Clemson routed the Fighting Irish by a score of 30-3 and will face Alabama in the title game on Monday (Jan. 7).