GLMX #118: The Tragedy of Missing the Goal

The football season is underway all across America. Fresh out of training camp, the thirty-two teams of the National Football League, are now engaged in a grand competition to see who will reach the playoffs and then go on to the Super Bowl. Each week, thousands of excited fans pack stadiums to eagerly cheer on their favorite team.

Sometimes a football game is won by a wide margin, with one team dominating the other throughout the hour-long competition. But sometimes, the game is tight down to the very last minute -- often even tied. When this happens, and there is only a few minutes left in the game, the team that has the ball often hustles to get into position for a field goal. This team may be down by one point, two points, three points, or may be tied with their opponents. But they know that if they can get a field goal, they can change the outcome of the game -- they can either win the game in regulation or at least push it into overtime giving them more opportunities to score.

When the team reach the field goal position, the stadium is finally quiet. The fans wait with great anticipation as the field goal kicker carefully places the ball. When the ball is aligned perfectly, he backs up and then kicks the ball with all his might. The ball sails upward and toward the goal.

Sometimes the field goal is successful and the ball goes directly between the goal posts. Other times, however, the ball falls short or veers widely to the right or the left missing the goal altogether. When the ball misses the goal, a team often has to accept defeat....