Watchly Safety Review

World's Longest Field Goal- Robot vs NFL Kicker

Mark Rober

19:41 · 100.9M views · February 6, 2021

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Minor FlagsReviewed June 2026

3Minor Flags

4No Issues

This video is safe and genuinely excellent for most kids, combining a fun sports challenge with real engineering and physics education. Mark Rober builds a football-kicking robot and tests it against NFL record-holder Matt Prater in a friendly, enthusiastic competition that sneaks in lessons about mechanics, projectile motion, and the scientific method — all without any inappropriate content.

Content Breakdown · 7 Categories

Strong & Crude LanguageNot present

No strong or crude language appears in this video; the closest instance is 'gosh darn,' a mild substitute expression, and no profanity, slurs, or censored variants are present.

See evidence (1)

“'straight as a gosh darn arrow' — mild substitute, not profanity”

Hidden Advertising & Sponsored ContentA little

The video contains promotion of the host's own products (CrunchLabs subscription box and the '40 mph blanket') woven into the content; however, these are the creator's own ventures and are relatively transparent rather than hidden third-party sponsorships. The blanket promotion is integrated into the science explanation segment without a clear 'ad' label in the transcript.

See evidence (3)

“'I started a company called CrunchLabs where we build a toy together' — product promotion embedded in content”

“'And so, it turns out... I invented this. I call it the 40 Mile an Hour Blanket' — own-product promotion integrated into science segment”

“'a very limited quantity are available on my relatively new website, markrober.com where every single dollar of anything I sell goes right back into making builds'”

Parasocial & Emotional ManipulationNot present

Toxic Behavior ModelingNot present

No toxic behavior modeling appears in this video; the host's playful 'heckling' of Matt Prater (blowing a train horn during kicks) is clearly good-natured and consensual within the competition framing, and Prater laughs along throughout.

See evidence (1)

“'(train horn blares)' during Prater's kicks — playful heckling, clearly consensual and comedic in context”

Engagement Baiting & Manipulative CTAsNot present

Low-Quality, Extreme & Stunt ContentA little

While the video has a stunt-adjacent premise (robot vs. NFL record holder), it is substantively educational with genuine physics and engineering content throughout, placing it well outside the low-quality shock-value stunt category.

See evidence (1)

“The 'man vs. machine' framing has stunt appeal but is backed by a year of genuine engineering prototyping and physics explanation”

Playful & Fantasy ViolenceA little

Minor playful competitive tension exists in the form of the Gatorade-dunking wager (loser gets ice water dumped on them), which is entirely consensual and lighthearted; this is well within normal sports/game-show playfulness.

See evidence (2)

“'I thought of a wager we could have. That Gatorade thing, it's got ice water in it. The loser gets dunked.' — consensual, playful competitive stakes”

“Playful train-horn heckling during kicks — clearly comedic and consensual”

What Parents Need to Know

This is one of the more educationally rich YouTube videos your child can watch. Mark Rober walks kids through the iterative engineering process — prototyping, failing, and improving — in a way that makes STEM feel exciting and accessible. Kids learn real physics concepts like launch angle, leg speed, and mechanical advantage, and they see how NASA-style measurement tricks apply to everyday life. The only minor flag is a brief product promotion for Mark's own merchandise (a speed-measuring blanket), which is clearly disclosed and directly tied to the science in the video. The competition is entirely good-natured, Matt Prater is a gracious and fun participant, and there is no inappropriate language, violence, or mature content of any kind. The robot does break dramatically at the end, which adds to the excitement without any safety concerns.

Talk to Your Kids About

1Why do you think Mark built four different versions of the robot instead of getting it right the first time? What does that tell us about how engineers solve problems?
2Matt Prater kicks the ball at 48 mph and the robot kicks at 82 mph — why do you think going faster makes the ball travel farther?
3Mark used a checkerboard blanket to measure speed the same way NASA does. Can you think of other everyday problems where you could use math and science to find an answer?
4Do you think it was fair for Mark to bring a robot to compete against a human? What are the differences between what a human and a machine can do?

World's Longest Field Goal- Robot vs NFL Kicker

Protected Viewing

What's This Video About?

My Field Goal Kicking Robot v. the NFL longest field goal record holder Matt Prater. Get your 40mph blanket here or go make your own! https://markrober.store/products/40mph-speed-square-blanket I started a company called CrunchLabs where we build a toy together and then I teach you all the juicy physics for how it works. So if you want to learn to think like an engineer and have really fun time doing it, check out the current promotion where you get 2 FREE boxes at https://crunchlabs.com You should also go subscribe to the CrunchLabs YouTube channel cause we’ve got some bangers in the pipeline- https://www.youtube.com/crunchlabs Thanks to these folks for providing some of the music in the video: Ponder - https://youtube.com/@Pondermusic Laura Shigihara - @supershigi Andrew Applepie - https://soundcloud.com/andrewapplepie Blue Wednesday - https://soundcloud.com/bluewednesday Thanks to Paul for coming out with his drone. He’s got some sick skillz as the 2018 DRL Allianz World Champion. Got check out his channel and learn more about NURK and performance drones: http://bit.ly/3oTGzIv Check out the Drone Racing League (DRL) on YouTube here- https://www.youtube.com/thedroneracingleague

Frequently Asked Questions

What age is this video appropriate for?

This video is suitable for kids around age 7 and up. The content is entirely clean, and the engineering and physics concepts, while explained clearly, are most engaging for school-age children who can follow along with the science.

Is there any bad language or inappropriate content in this video?

No. The video contains no profanity, violence, sexual content, or other mature themes. It is one of the cleanest and most family-friendly videos on YouTube.

Is this video actually educational, or is it just entertainment?

It is genuinely both. Kids learn about projectile motion, launch angles, mechanical advantage, spring force, and iterative engineering design — all presented in a fun, accessible way. The NASA speed-measurement trick is a particularly memorable science lesson.

Does the video contain any advertising or product promotion?

There is one segment where Mark promotes his own merchandise website, specifically a speed-measuring blanket that ties directly into the science he just explained. It is brief, clearly self-promotional, and not deceptive, but parents should be aware it exists.

Is the robot dangerous or does anything scary happen?

The robot is powerful and does break apart dramatically at the end when pushed to full power, but this is presented humorously and no one is hurt. It actually serves as a great lesson about engineering limits and why testing matters.

Is Matt Prater a good role model in this video?

Yes — Prater comes across as humble, good-humored, and generous with his time and knowledge. He coaches Mark on kicking technique, jokes around throughout, and accepts the robot challenge with great sportsmanship.