Thank you Earth's rotation?

[DanTheBengalsFan]

I quickly double-checked Dr. Tyson's physics and came up with 1.1 cm for the coriolis deflection, which is indeed about half an inch. It wouldn't matter which end zone Nugent was kicking toward because the deflection is always to the right in the Northern Hemisphere, but latitude does matter. If the kick had been at a more southern latitude, say, in Miami, the deflection would have been less and perhaps the ball would have hit the upright more squarely and not caromed through.

Clearly Mike Nugent is a genius if he can work through acceleration due to pseudoforces in rotating frames in his head in a few seconds while NFL players are preparing to rush headlong at him in an effort to knock him unconscious and tens of thousands of screaming fans are looking on.