Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press The NFL seems so much easier from the comfort of your couch. Fans were quick to attack Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey, who missed a 43-yard field-goal attempt in the closing seconds of last week's playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Bears were eliminated and Parkey became enemy No. 1 in the greater Chicago area. But could any average fans do better after all their complaining? No. Goose Island held a challenge for anyone to try a 43-yard kick, and while the snow on Saturday made it more difficult, no one was able to make the kick: Some were hilariously bad and likely shut people up for some time: With a year's supply of beer on the line, some were at least close but still failed to make it through the uprights: Video Play Button Videos you might like Hopefully the Bears weren't using this as an open tryout to find a kicker for 2019.<doc-sep>The first of 100 kickers steps up at Goose Island Beer Company’s 43-yard field goal challenge. (Henry Bushnell/Yahoo Sports) CHICAGO — The first of many arrived before the sun did. Around 6:30 a.m. A kicker in high school, he was confident – just like the other 100-plus Chicagoans who flocked to the west side of a city still recovering from the most agonizing of NFL playoff losses. By around 9:30, with snow flurries beginning to sheathe the ground, the last of 100 spots in Goose Island Beer Company’s field goal challenge had been claimed. For hours thereafter, at least 100 more fans were turned away. All had come with the idea that they – former soccer players, out-of-shape middle-aged men, and everyone in between – could do what Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey couldn’t: Make a 43-yard field goal rather than double-doink it. And they were wrong. Very wrong. First kicker Cleats On his ass pic.twitter.com/WxiiPnP4g9 — Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) January 12, 2019 “A 43-yard field goal, we really do believe, is much more difficult than the armchair kickers think it is,” Goose Island president Todd Ahsmann told Yahoo Sports on Friday. He, on the other hand, was very right. At least 100 tried. Fighting snow and a headwind, every single one failed. And many did so in hilarious fashion. . @GooseIsland bet fans free 🍻 for a year that they couldn't make Cody Parkey's 43-yard FG. They ALL failed 🤣 #CodyParkeyChallenge pic.twitter.com/hZhONcsEwL — Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) January 12, 2019 Media members – including this one – stepped up as well, and suffered a similar fate: Story continues IT GOT TIPPED pic.twitter.com/s616rxMCS1 — Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) January 12, 2019 Some had the accuracy, but nowhere near the distance. Many more failed to clear a fence designed to simulate an NFL defensive line. At least a dozen barely got the ball off the ground. Several met the ground themselves, having slipped on the slick turf mat, a lesson learned via embarrassment: A field goal is much harder than it looks from a couch. The Parkey-inspired field goal challenge When Parkey smacked the left upright, then the crossbar, last Sunday, Goose Island employee Zac Connelly was a few beers in. “Just the perfect amount,” he told Yahoo Sports Saturday as the Goose Island taproom filled with wannabe kickers. And while sipping the company’s Next Coast IPA, he began to see Chicago’s rage; the threats toward Parkey; the online bullying. He and his colleagues, as Ahsmann said, wanted to “stick up for our fellow Chicagoan” – and prove how difficult Parkey’s job really is. So on Monday morning, the team got to work. That afternoon, they looked into renting goalposts, or rolling in mobile ones. Instead, they fired up YouTube and taught themselves how to build a set. They bought necessary materials, and relied on a marketing employee with a carpentry background. Oh, and they themselves started practicing. In part, as Ahsmann said, because “we really thought 20 people would show up.” But then they teased free beer as a reward, and the story blew up. Thousands RSVP’d. Media outlets small and large covered it. Goose Island even reached out to Parkey’s representative to see if he’d be interesting in attending. The request went unanswered, but free beer was attractive enough to the masses. Unfortunately, Illinois lawmakers tried to ruin the fun. Free beer was against the law Per state law, associating free alcoholic drinks with a competition is prohibited. So a few days after Goose Island began promoting the field goal challenge, it received a call from “the powers that be,” who presumably referenced the following section of a Prohibition-era liquor control act: No retail licensee or employee or agent of such licensee shall: … 5. encourage or permit, on the licensed premises, any game or contest which involves drinking alcoholic liquor or the awarding of drinks of alcoholic liquor as prizes for such game or contest on the licensed premises. So the brewery had to adjust on the fly. They replaced free beer with an all-expenses-paid trip to an NFL game of a winner’s choice – no matter how many winners there were. They capped entry at 100. On Saturday morning, Ahsmann predicted 10 makes. He was waaaaay too optimistic. The scene About three-and-a-half hours before kickoff, there was a mad dash for the 100th spot. The 100th person just arrived. Spots filled! Going to be a great day. pic.twitter.com/4XpxfifvXB — Goose Island Beer Co (@GooseIsland) January 12, 2019 By 12:30, the lucky 100 had been ushered into the brewery’s garage. Meanwhile, a sizable crowd surrounded the kickers’ pen outside, even in intensifying snow and wind. They were given noisemakers. They were encouraged to heckle. They didn’t disappoint. There were even some rooftop viewers: (Henry Bushnell/Yahoo Sports) Inside the garage, there was legitimate tension. Some hopefuls tossed a football around. Others kicked a soccer ball. A frightening amount changed into cleats. Others stripped off pants to reveal shorts and tights. One man attached a faux-facemask to his winter hat. Most stretched. Some practiced their form. When the first dozen or two were led outside, the entire crowd paused and belted out the national anthem: It began with a stirring rendition of the national anthem pic.twitter.com/nuI1OszCgz — Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) January 12, 2019 And then the schadenfreude began: The hilarious misses The first kicker, outfitted in a Fenwick High School practice jersey, had been practicing with a buddy in the suburbs during the week. But before he could hit the kick of his life, his plant foot gave way, and and he got the afternoon off to an inauspicious start: First kicker Cleats On his ass pic.twitter.com/WxiiPnP4g9 — Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) January 12, 2019 Oh, but it would get worse … Even athletic-looking 20-somethings decked out in athletic-looking gear failed miserably: The most professional-looking dudes were often the worst pic.twitter.com/y2w9PaW9gu — Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) January 12, 2019 Nobody reached the uprights. But we did have a doink of a different kind … A few ⁦@GooseIsland⁩ employees were in the line of fire… pic.twitter.com/RNzAbfT5jD — Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) January 12, 2019 Ouch. There were heels who ripped off jackets to reveal Vikings or Packers apparel. But the crowd favorite was this Eagles fan: There was on-the-fly cleat swapping for traction, but to no avail: These dudes swapped left cleats for traction after the first one’s kick… pic.twitter.com/WklHmnouZ5 — Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) January 12, 2019 Going shirtless didn’t work either: Not sure what the thinking was here… pic.twitter.com/dzz9gYJCfc — Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) January 12, 2019 Neither did warmup routines: In all honesty, the snow really made this more difficult than it otherwise would’ve been. (There’s been talk of running it back later this winter or next year) pic.twitter.com/kQsIgRLnxy — Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) January 12, 2019 The closest of the 100-plus came up several yards short: This was the closest anybody came pic.twitter.com/tYFIi0Zw1s — Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) January 12, 2019 No kickers were successful. But it was a wildly successful afternoon for the brewery and all who came out, even as they trudged off into the afternoon with snow clinging to their hats, jackets and beards. And in lieu of a winner, Goose Island offered to donate $20,000 to the charity of Cody Parkey’s choosing. Per a spokesperson, that charity will be Lurie Children’s Hospital. As the event wound down, and as Connelly surveyed the scene, reflecting on a whirlwind week, there was only one questioned left unanswered: When will Goose Island run it back? – – – – – – – Henry Bushnell is a features writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Question? Comment? Email him at henrydbushnell@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter @HenryBushnell, and on Facebook. More from Yahoo Sports: • Curry moves into third place on all-time 3-point shooting list • Trump says Clemson will visit White House amid shutdown • Dolphins expected to offer Patriots’ Flores head coaching job • NFL divisional weekend picks against the spread<doc-sep>
Chicago brewery Goose Island was sick and tired of people clowning Cody Parkey for a 43-yard miss in the Bears' wild card game against the Eagles on Sunday, so it took matters into its own hands. The brewery had a challenge for people in the area to line up and kick a 43-yarder themselves. The results were about what you'd expect. Now, before we go into mocking these people, the situations are really apples and oranges. It was snowing in Chicago on Saturday -- the day of the challenge -- and Parkey is a professional NFL kicker. With that being said, there's also the key difference that the kick that these people are attempting is very low-stakes compared to what Parkey was facing, and the kick was tipped at the line. These would-be NFL kickers didn't have a rush. The first guy wore cleats, and the experience was ... Humbling. Here was another solid attempt, in which there was some contact by the defense. Then, there was the Packers fan who stepped into enemy territory -- which is actually a really gutsy move. It seemed possible that some random soccer player could come out and bury it, but when it was all said and done, Goose Island was vindicated for hosting the challenge. Obviously there will be those who say that this is Parkey's job, but you have to think anyone who came out Saturday will be biting their tongue. If nothing else, everyone there has video evidence that this isn't as easy as it looks.