Sports on the Sidelines
5 Sports You Did Not Know Existed
November 16, 2015
Are you tired of playing, watching or reading about the same old sports over and over again? Well, be bored no longer: here are five weird sports that can add uniqueness to anyone’s life.
- Bossaball
Two teams of four or five players face off in a game that blends volleyball, soccer and gymnastics—and if that is not enough—is played on trampolines. The game is played like a game of volleyball but with a few differences: players bounce up and down on their sides, playing the ball off their feet and hands. The court mimics that of a volleyball court on a giant inflatable mat, completed with a large trampoline on each side of the net. Bossaball was created between 2003 and 2005 by a Belgian named Filip Eyckmans, who was at the time living in Spain. For more information go to the Bossaball website.
- Pole Push
This sport is the reverse of tug-of-war. An even number of people set themselves on either ends of a pole inside a sumo wrestling-like ring and prepare to push. The game ends when one side crosses out of the ring.
- Camel Wrestling
This game takes place between two camels especially bred to fight, surrounded by a throng of eagerly awaiting spectators. The season correlates with the camels’ mating season, so the two male camels fight over a nearby female. The game ends when a camel knocks his opponent to the ground or his opponent flees from the fight. Camel wrestling is mainly a Turkish sport, but is also played in some areas of the Middle East and South Asia, and originated in Turkey over 2,400 years ago
- Extreme Ironing
No, this does not have anything to do with weightlifting—players literally iron clothes in harsh and demanding environments. Extreme Ironing is a solo sport or can be played with friends; the goal is no less than getting the wrinkles out of your clothes. The game can and has been played while skydiving, deep sea diving, rock climbing, riding on the back of a taxi and so many other places. For more information check out this Time article.
- Zorbing
Have a plastic, human-sized hamster ball just lying around? Then go zorbing! Zorbing is a non-competitive sport in which players roll down a hill in an inflatable ball. Just for the fun of it. However, be safe; one man died when he and his fellow zorb-er fell off a cliff and into an icy ravine in a ski resort in Russia. For more information visit this site .