How to blow your shot at $1m with one horrendous throw

The best and brightest were out in force this week as Clemson and Alabama faced off for the college football national championship in Tampa, Florida.

Joey Delk, however, was not one of those best and brightest.

With US$1 million on the line from a company called Eckrich Meats, Joey must have been feeling confident that he could change his life.

All he had to do was pass the ball through a target 25 yards from the starting spot.

He must have thrown the pigskin around the yard a few times in his life, so this is easy, right?

Wrong.

The throw was so bad that someone should have been in Joey's ear to suggest he steal the microphone and tell the world it was his first time.

It all looked smooth as he stepped into the throw, but from there it all went wrong.

Joey was hunched over and let the ball go way too early, causing it to hook way too far left.

Former college quarterback Kirk Herbstreit, an ESPN commentator, had a shot after Joey and got closer but ultimately missed as well.

Eckrich wasn't deterred by the failures, pledging to donate $25,000 to a non-profit organisation.

Companies like Eckrich must be relieved that the targets they set are just difficult enough that they avoid giving away millions of dollars.

Back in 2015 a watch company offered Shane Warne $1 million towards his charity, some months before it was shut down due to funding controversies.

Instead of giving his foundation a boost, he only managed to bruise a fan.

The key to success, it seems, is to offer a smaller prize - like, say, $95,000 and the opportunity for one man to change his family's life.