Photo credit: Capitals Outsider

During the penultimate game of the Capitals preseason, the team unveiled an elaborate new skycam suspended from the rafters. The fan reaction was swift and mostly negative, largely from fans in the upper deck whose views were impacted by the moving camera and its cables. On Sunday night, Capitals majority owner Ted Leonsis acknowledged the criticism in a blog post.

“While this technology has been widely used in football stadiums and at outdoor NHL games, it’s relatively new to smaller, indoor arenas,” he wrote on Ted’s Take. “We recognize, however, that the camera may be somewhat distractive to fans in our 400 level on the north side of the arena, primarily sections 415 through 419. We wanted to test Skycam to evaluate the technology and receive feedback from fans – those in the stands as well as those watching on TV.”

Leonsis said that the experiment, the first of its kind at an NBA and NHL arena, was done at the request of broadcast partners NBC Sports and CSN.

The feedback the Capitals received doesn’t bode well for the future of the skycam. Leonsis said the team will make a decision on its future soon.