Like most fairs, the PNE is filled with midway games where you can try your luck at winning some big stuffed animal that will just end up collecting dust in the garage. Most of these games are nothing more than games of chance with the odds stacked heavily in favor of the house. However, a few are just are just out right scams.
Take for example, the simple basketball free throw game. It looks simple enough, sink a free throw and win a stuffed monkey in a banana. Look at it more closely and you’ll see the chances of winning are next to zero.
The basket is placed much higher than a regulation NBA basket. This throws off the free throw expert because they’ll need to toss the ball at a much higher arch than they’re used too. Assuming they adjust to the arch, they will encounter the next obstacle: the hoop.
From the shooting position, the hoop looks like a normal NBA hoop. Look at it from the side and you’ll see that it’s not round, but oval. While you may have normal left to right leeway, you have about 1/4 inch leeway front to back.
Then we have the basketball itself. It is a regulation ball but it’s inflated at a much higher than regulation pressure. This ensure that should the ball hit any inside part of the hoop, it’s going to bounce out and not in.
The bottom line. Not even Michael Jordan can win this game. The only winning move is not to play.
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