USING THEATER TO DISTRACT FREE THROW SHOOTERS. You see it at most basketball games: home team fans shaking something in unison in the sight line of a visiting team’s player who is about to attempt a free throw. I have always assumed it had no effect on the shooter. Now, as this article by Kevin Zimmerman on the FoxSports site reports, there are some statistical analyses which suggest that Arizona State fans have found something that seems to have an effect on opposing free throw shooters. It’s called the Curtain of Distraction.
The Curtain of Distraction is a black curtain which is opened—in the same way a theater curtain is opened—just before an opposing player is about to shoot a free throw. What is revealed behind the curtain is different every time, as you can see here. Unicorns kissing, a guitar player, characters in florescent costumes….