Think you can make a halfcourt shot in front of the fans at halftime? Odds are 50-1 against you
Think you can make a halfcourt shot in front of the fans at halftime? Odds are 50-1 against you
Phoenix Suns’ Eric Bledsoe (2) high fives fan Tim Boven after Boven hit a three point field goal for $77,777 during a time out during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks, Friday, March 28, 2014, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
Scott Schwartz makes a halfcourt shot during a promotion in the fourth quarter of the Phoenix Suns’ 112-107 overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets in an NBA basketball game in Denver on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
Travis Weber of Lincoln, left, holds the keys to his 2025 Porsche Macan as Dewayne Taylor speaks to the crowd before Illinois plays against Nebraska in an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Lincoln, Neb. Weber made a putt the length of the basketball court during a Jan. 22 men’s basketball game between Southern California and Nebraska to win a 2025 Porsche Macan valued at $75,000. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Phoenix Suns’ Eric Bledsoe (2) high fives fan Tim Boven after Boven hit a three point field goal for $77,777 during a time out during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks, Friday, March 28, 2014, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
Phoenix Suns’ Eric Bledsoe (2) high fives fan Tim Boven after Boven hit a three point field goal for $77,777 during a time out during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks, Friday, March 28, 2014, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
Scott Schwartz makes a halfcourt shot during a promotion in the fourth quarter of the Phoenix Suns’ 112-107 overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets in an NBA basketball game in Denver on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
Scott Schwartz makes a halfcourt shot during a promotion in the fourth quarter of the Phoenix Suns’ 112-107 overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets in an NBA basketball game in Denver on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
Travis Weber of Lincoln, left, holds the keys to his 2025 Porsche Macan as Dewayne Taylor speaks to the crowd before Illinois plays against Nebraska in an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Lincoln, Neb. Weber made a putt the length of the basketball court during a Jan. 22 men’s basketball game between Southern California and Nebraska to win a 2025 Porsche Macan valued at $75,000. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Travis Weber of Lincoln, left, holds the keys to his 2025 Porsche Macan as Dewayne Taylor speaks to the crowd before Illinois plays against Nebraska in an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Lincoln, Neb. Weber made a putt the length of the basketball court during a Jan. 22 men’s basketball game between Southern California and Nebraska to win a 2025 Porsche Macan valued at $75,000. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Every night, random fans are picked out of the stands at games big and small to participate in contests that test their skill and promise a prize, sometimes a big one, if they’re successful.
Halfcourt shooting contests have a long history at high school, college and professional basketball games. In recent years, contests requiring fans to putt a golf ball the length of the court into a small slot have become popular. That’s how a fan at a recent Nebraska game recently won a $75,000 Porsche.
Some numbers associated with these in-game contests:
1993
The year Chicago Bulls fan Don Calhoun swished a shot of about 80 feet, from the opposite free-throw line, to win $1 million. The Bulls and sponsors paid Calhoun after the insurance company reneged, saying he was disqualified because he had played in a handful of junior college basketball games. Calhoun’s million-dollar shot is considered the moment in-game contests took off in popularity.
1 in 2
Chances a random fan will make a free throw, according to contest insurer SCA Promotions.
1 in 7
Chances a random fan will make a 3-point shoot, according to SCA.
1 in 50
Chances a random fan will make a halfcourt shot, according to contest the insurer Interactive Promotions Group. SCA Promotions sets the chances at 1 in 49.
1 in 100
Chances a random fan will make a length-of-the-court putt (94 feet) into a 3-by-3 inch slot, according to IPG and SCA.
1 in 200
Chances a random hockey fan will make a shot from center ice into a 4-inch slot at the bottom of a board covering the goal 89 feet away, according to SCA.
$1,000
Estimated insurance premium for SCA to cover the risk of having to give away $10,000 in a halfcourt shooting contest, according to SCA vice president Chris Hamman. The premium would cover five attempts by five different contestants.
$16,200
Insurance premium paid to IPG to cover the risk of Porsche of Omaha dealership having to give away a $75,000 Porsche Macan to Travis Weber, who made a 94-foot putt into a 3-by-3 inch slot in Nebraska’s Putt for a Porsche contest. The premium covered eight putting attempts by different contestants over eight games.
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