Hear Me Roar...

Why do classic lion tamers carry a chair around with them in the ring?

Lions' brains work so that they can really only focus their attention on one thing at a time. If a lion starts getting a little too interested in a tamer, the tamer will put a chair between himself and the lion, legs pointed out toward the lion's face. The legs of the chair present to the lion four points of interest. This move confuses the lion a little bit as he is faced with the choice of which leg to focus on, and more importantly, it diverts the lion's attention away from the tamer.