Spot the ball competition
Encyclopedia
A spot the ball competition is a traditional newspaper
promotion where the player has to guess the position of a ball
which has been removed from a photograph of a ball sport, especially association football. The position of the ball must be deduced from the relative positions of the sportsmen shown in the photograph, the directions in which they are looking, etc.
The game was extremely popular in the UK
in the 1970s and 1980s as part of newspaper promotions. Players would pay for a certain number of crosses on the picture, which was sent in by post to the promoter. Sometimes players could cover the picture with hundreds of crosses, and special rubber stamps were manufactured which helped people fill in the picture with regular arrangements of crosses. Where several entrants had identified the correct area, a special high-powered magnifying device would be used to determine which of the crosses was the closest to the centre of the ball.
Sometimes the "correct answer" is the position of the ball as judged by a panel of experts, rather than the position of the actual ball before it was removed, because you cannot gamble on an event that has already happened.
The game can be played online to win prizes such as cars and electronics. Some clubs now run spot the ball competitions at their grounds to raise money for the club.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
promotion where the player has to guess the position of a ball
Ball
A ball is a round, usually spherical but sometimes ovoid, object with various uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for simpler activities, such as catch, marbles and juggling...
which has been removed from a photograph of a ball sport, especially association football. The position of the ball must be deduced from the relative positions of the sportsmen shown in the photograph, the directions in which they are looking, etc.
The game was extremely popular in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the 1970s and 1980s as part of newspaper promotions. Players would pay for a certain number of crosses on the picture, which was sent in by post to the promoter. Sometimes players could cover the picture with hundreds of crosses, and special rubber stamps were manufactured which helped people fill in the picture with regular arrangements of crosses. Where several entrants had identified the correct area, a special high-powered magnifying device would be used to determine which of the crosses was the closest to the centre of the ball.
Sometimes the "correct answer" is the position of the ball as judged by a panel of experts, rather than the position of the actual ball before it was removed, because you cannot gamble on an event that has already happened.
The game can be played online to win prizes such as cars and electronics. Some clubs now run spot the ball competitions at their grounds to raise money for the club.