Photo: Dave Shafer (Getty Images)
Chicago is hurting. The Bears had the best defense in the NFL this year, but lost their playoff game in heartbreaking fashion 16-15 when their kicker Cody Parkey missed what would have been a game-winning 43-yard field goal. And he didn’t just miss it. The ball hit one of the uprights, then the crossbar, before falling to the ground, crushing the hops of Ditka-ites all over the Chicagoland area.
Just like most of the city, the folks at Goose Island were pretty bummed about the loss, so bummed that they decided to challenge amateur field goal kickers to complete the task Parkey couldn’t do. The reward? Free beer for a year.
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The challenge was issued on Twitter and the official rules were posted on Tuesday. The contest consists of this: if anyone can kick a 43-yard field goal, they’ll receive free beer for a year and “eternal glory.”
https://twitter.com/GooseIsland/status/1082406585895473157
The first hint of a possible contest came in a Twitter post on Monday. The brewery tweeted, “A lot of armchair kickers on here are saying that they could hit that field goal, which we find doubtful. You’re gonna sit there on your throne of potato chips and vape pens and criticize this dude’s athleticism? Get real.”
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This is where things started to get real. The brewery tweeted that it would actually go ahead and build a field goal in the middle of the street outside their brewery and if anyone could actually make a 43-yarder, they’d be rewarded with free beer for a year. The point they’re trying to prove is that a field goal of that length isn’t easy, especially when it was tipped at the line.
We’re dead serious, we have a drawing and construction begins tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/fOnsZihyy9
— Goose Island Beer Co. (@GooseIsland) January 8, 2019
What followed was an actual drawing of the field goal and eventually a list of official rules. So, if you want to try your hand at winning free beer for a year, you have to go to the Fulton Street brewery in Chicago this weekend. Sign up is at noon (with kickoff at 1 p.m.) and spots are limited.
OFFICIAL RULES. Kickoff at 1 pm on 1/12. pic.twitter.com/y3WVht52Oh
— Goose Island Beer Co. (@GooseIsland) January 8, 2019
Game on!
