The Price of Looking Cool
Rea,
Would you use a better way to do something if it meant everyone might laugh at you?
In basketball, there’s a special kind of shot called a free throw. It happens when a player gets fouled - they get to stand at a special line and take an undefended shot worth one point. No one can block it or interfere. It should be easy, right? But even professional players often miss these “free” points. Most NBA players only make about 75% of their free throws, and some make less than half!
Here’s where it gets interesting: scientists and physics experts have proven that the best way to shoot a free throw is actually underhand - bringing the ball up from below, like you’re bowling. This technique gives the ball a better arc and spin, making it more likely to go in. But almost no one does it. Why? Because it looks silly. People call it the “granny shot,” making fun of how it resembles the way grandmothers might throw things.
Enter Rick Barry, one of basketball’s greatest players. In the 1960s, he decided to try the underhand free throw. Other players laughed. Fans made jokes. But Barry didn’t care - he cared about results. And what results they were! He finished his career making 90% of his free throws, one of the best records in basketball history.
Yet despite Barry’s amazing success, almost no other professional players would copy his technique. They’d rather look cool and miss than look silly and score. Even Barry’s own sons resisted learning the underhand shot at first. One of them, Canyon, eventually decided to try his dad’s method. The results? He set a University of Florida record by making 42 free throws in a row! And just this summer, Canyon brought the underhand shot to the Olympics, showing the whole world that sometimes the “wrong” way might actually be the right way.
Isn’t it fascinating how much we sometimes care about looking cool instead of getting better results? It makes you wonder - what things might you be doing just because they look cooler, even if there might be a better way?
Love, Abba
P.S. Next time you see someone doing something differently, ask yourself: are they silly, or are they smart enough not to care what others think?
