USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Ohio State football fan next to surprised squirrel
There’s only so much you can do to prevent wildlife from making an appearance at a sporting event that’s played outdoors. That was the case with a squirrel that made its way into the stands at an Ohio State football game, which was escorted out of The Shoe after it was lured into a box with the help of a soft pretzel.
Every stadium and arena is designed to prevent people who aren’t supposed to be there from infiltrating during a game. It may be fairly easy to prevent humans from gaining unauthorized entry, but the same cannot be said for the wild animals that routinely manage to make their way inside.
They tend to be less of an issue at indoor venues. With that said, a bird was able to fly onto the rink in the middle of an Islanders game last season, and Manu Ginobili once swatted down a bat that flew across the court during a game that was played on Halloween in 2009.
There have also been a number of instances where an animal was able to invade the field in the middle of a football game. A black cat briefly halted play during a game between the Cowboys and the Giants in 2019, and there have been multiple situations where a college football stadium has erupted after seeing a squirrel run down the field for a “touchdown.”
One of those rodents also made an appearance at an Ohio State football game, although it managed to cause a stir in the stands as opposed to on the turf.
A police officer used a soft pretzel to lure a squirrel into a empty beer box in the stands at an Ohio State football game
101,120 fans were officially in attendance at Ohio Stadium on September 5th to watch the Buckeyes open up their 2026 season with a 56-3 win over Ball State.
However, there was also at least one unauthorized attendee at that contest: a squirrel that the Perry Township Police Department says became “overwhelmed” after ending up in the bleachers near the top of The Shoe toward the beginning of the contest.
A bodycam captured a police officer arriving on the scene with an empty Michelob Ultra box before commandeering a soft pretzel that was used to lure the critter into the cardboard container.
ALERT: Officer uses a pretzel and an empty beer box to kick a squirrel out of the Ohio State stadium for not having a ticket.
The Perry Township Police Department released bodycam footage of a squirrel trapped in the stands at an Ohio State football game being safely rescued by… pic.twitter.com/Ud4x5rquGG
— E X X ➠A L E R T S (@ExxAlerts) September 9, 2026
The squirrel was subsequently transported outside the stadium and released into a planter, where it immediately started foraging for food.
You love to see it.