People on HN like to pretend that non-tech people couldn't possibly be good at doing things that techies aren't. Most techies couldn't kick a soccer ball that f

People on HN like to pretend that non-tech people couldn't possibly be good at doing things that techies aren't. Most techies couldn't kick a soccer ball that far, let alone come close to hitting a target that far away, so they assume the very idea is impossible. Those who actually watched Beckham play (in Europe, or even during his retirement era in Los Angeles) knew what he was capable of[1], and that's why the general public was willing to believe this ad could have been true when it was released: because Beckham could easily have hit a target that big and that far away, and it wasn't much of a stretch to believe he could land a ball inside a trashcan with practice. [1] Beckham was a free kick specialist, and is regarded as the best free kicker of all time. The movie "Bend It Like Beckham" derives its title from his legendary skill.