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The demolition of the Silverdome was supposed to begin on Sunday morning, but things didn’t quite go as planned. In front of a big audience filled with Detroit Lions fans, former players and citizens of Pontiac, the first explosions detonated around the upper ring of the stadium.
Then nothing happened.
There was expected to be a partial implosion of the stadium (not a complete demolition), but over 40 minutes after the initial blasts, the 40-year-old stadium remained completely upright.
Here is the failed #Silverdome implosion from SkyFOX pic.twitter.com/6hD7PyTHIM
— Sky Kerstein (@SkyKersteinFox2) December 3, 2017
Demolition crews on hand said the explosions went off as expected, and the stadium could collapse at any moment when “gravity takes over.”
However, the perceived failure of the explosion led to an endless amount of jokes from Lions fans. Here’s just a taste:
“Eventually collapse” Why am I familiar with that phrase? Can’t quite put my finger on it. #
— CameraGuyAl (@cameraguyal) December 3, 2017
After review, the ruling on the field has been changed. The players did not complete the process of the implosion. Replay 4th down. https://t.co/u8D69oBYm6
— D. Ray Long (@RayLongDC) December 3, 2017
A fitting end to the Silverdome. Just like the Lions. It should work, looks like it's going to work, but only disappoints. https://t.co/vP8bwHwqrC
— Derrick Lindow (@DLindow13) December 3, 2017
Jokes aside, this is obviously a little embarrassing for the city of Pontiac, even though the stadium will eventually come down. If you’re interested in keeping an eye on it, as of 9:15 a.m. ET, FOX 2 Detroit still has a live feed of the site from their helicopter. You can view it below:
Thousands of people are filling the streets around the Pontiac Silverdome as the former home of the Lions comes down today. bit.ly/2BF5fx9
Posted by FOX 2 Detroit on Sunday, December 3, 2017