For many NFL fans, a conversion attempt after the blockbuster high of a touchdown being scored can feel a little anticlimactic. So too, a team having to revert to a pot-shot at goal after a failed drive upfield. But field goal kicking is, of course, an integral part of American Football, even though it rarely makes the highlight reels. But the drama of attempting to kick a football between the goalposts isn’t always limited to the professionals, as spectators occasionally get called upon to take to the field and take their chance to win a prize and become a temporary legend in front of thousands of people.
Field goal contests for fans worked their way into the sport as a way to provide a bit of halftime entertainment, and they rapidly evolved into serious contests where ordinary people could kick for cash and other prizes. The tradition in the sport dates back to the mid-20th century, but interestingly, while most fans will be fully aware of what it is, field goal contests are seldom seen during the NFL regular season.
Big Wins
The biggest win in this type of competition came outside of the NFL. Back in 2013, Brian Triplett was given a chance in the “Kick a Million” contest to make field goals from 20, 30, 40, and 50 yards during halftime of a Toronto Argonauts CFL game. He missed the first three attempts, but the rules allowed him to still try from the 50-yard line, which he did, and defied probability to score the grand $1,000,000 prize.
Back in the NFL, the largest current examples of life-changing sums of money up for grabs, can be found in former NFL punter Pat McAfee’s “Million Dollar Kick”. McAfee has transformed the College GameDay kicking contest into a high-stakes lottery by doubling and quadrupling potential prizes when he feels like it, such as offering a University of Michigan student a $1,000,000 second attempt after missing the first go for $500,000. The student, named Grant Silva, crumbled under the pressure and missed again.
Kicking for the Jackpot
When people put a stake into a slot machine, whether in person or through online casino operators in major markets such as the US, UK, and Romania, where players often compare welcome offers through curated bonus listings at https://legalbet.ro/cazinouri/bonusuri/bonusuri-la-inregistrare/, they are hoping that luck is on their side to hit a jackpot. There is a correlation between an average person being called to attempt a field goal from the 30-yard line and trying to hit a jackpot on a casino slot. Kicking that far and that accurately is no easy thing, but there’s always that chance of winning through effort and luck.
It’s believed that an untrained adult’s success rate at kicking a field goal is probably between 5% and 10%, whereas the odds of winning a casino jackpot can range from 1 in 250,000 to 1 in 10,000,000. The odds on both are long, but it’s the chance of it happening and the hope that it will that keeps people interested, as the payouts can be big. The “it could be me” factor fuels a lot of gamblers.
College Football Rules
It’s in the realm of college football that halftime field goal contests are most likely to be seen in the modern age. Contests that offer prize money, cars, and even tuition fees have cropped up in the NCAA, which is the perfect setting for this kind of event. It’s a young person having a shot at a potentially life-changing prize, in front of boisterous, passionate college fans who create stunning atmospheres at the game.
The NFL, in contrast, is much more limited for such contests. Fan challenges like the halftime field goal attempt can occasionally be seen during the pre-season and events like Pro Bowl games, but not during the regular season.
Why Teams Take The Risk
Someone has to foot the financial bill, of course, should a person successfully convert a field goal during a contest. Major prizes are typically provided through sponsorship, so a football franchise isn’t paying out of its own pocket. But typically, a franchise will buy Specialty Prize Insurance, where they’ll pay the insurance company a premium, and under this model, if a fan defies the odds, it’s the insurance company that pays out.
With the low odds of such a thing happening, the insurance company will collect on the premiums franchises pay. Therefore, the logistics of a franchise being willing to risk paying expensive premiums is largely the reason why field goal contests are rare in the NFL. Insurance companies will also have stipulations, like criteria excluding anyone with an athletic background from competing.
Commercial Takeover
Another reason why kicking contests don’t happen in the NFL is that during halftime, broadcasters are cramming in as many paid commercials as they can, plus grabbing player and head coach interviews to fulfil broadcast obligations. There’s precious little time and space to give to a gimmicky halftime contest, and it’s why the flexible halftime slots of College Football have embraced the contest with more open arms.
For teams that provide this entertainment, it can be great publicity. In this viral day and age, a successful attempt would do wonders for social media engagement and press, potentially driving up attendances, sponsorships, and sales of merchandise. For sponsors, the undivided attention that a halftime field goal contest draws makes it a prime marketing space, and given that fans typically believe that kicking a ball through those tall uprights is easy, it gives them skin in the game as well.
