When we think of sports we often think of the NFL, NBA, or MLB and in a lot of circles esports is also gaining ground on being a household known sport event as well. But these are only the tip of the iceberg for sporting events. Across the globe and even in familiar grounds such as the US, for whatever reason isn’t being recognized as well as others, even though they are at least equally as entertaining. Here are three unique sports, in no particular order, from across the globe, with a few of them having some rather entraining backstories.
Bo-taoshi
Everyone loves a good game of capture the flag, and Japan throws their own style of this classic game with the game Bo-taoshi. At its core, there are 2 teams of 75, one a defensive team the other playing as offensive. The defenders must keep a pole above a 45 degree angle, and it’s pretty easy to guess what the offensive team’s goal is, knock the pole below 45 degrees.
There are some standard positions when thinking of this game, some defenders are tasked with defending while others are meant to run interference against the offense, but what’s peculiar is that there’s often a ninja position for the defenders and his job to to basically be on top of the pole and keep it balanced from the top.
What’s quite entertaining about this sport is its simplicity. With sports like basketball and baseball, there’s a laundry list of rules and guidelines and ways to earn points. In Bo-taoshi, it’s either keep the pole up, or if you’re on offense, knock the pole down, just don’t purposely hurt anyone. It’s just really funny watching videos of over 100 people violently crowding around a pole.
Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling
Everyone’s probably seen a video on Cooper Hill’s in Gloucester, England. The infamous cheese chasing competition has been an English tradition for over 190 years yet no one probably knows its actual name. Well, no matter the name or the context, this event is famous and for good reason.
The contest has a number of people running down a hill chasing a seven to nine pound roll of cheese down a hill. The goal? Catch the roll of cheese before the finish line, which is at the bottom of the hill. Due to safety reason, the cheese was replaced with a foam replica due to a seven to nine pound roll of cheese rolling at a top speed of 70 miles per hour can cause injury to bystanders and spectators.
But you can’t deny the entertainment factor of watching a handful of adults running, and eventually rolling if they trip, to grab a piece of cheese. Over the past decade the event gain popularity to where they created a race just for the women. And in 2018, social media sensational Supreme Patty flew across the Atlantic to witness and be apart of the event bringing more exposure to cheese rolling.
It’s a quick watch but it’s worth those few seconds for a laugh or something to lighten up your day.
World Sign Spinning Championships
Since 2006, AArrow Sign Spinners has been holding the Sign Spinning World Championships in Las Vegas. Underneath the Fremont Street dome, competitors duke it out for a $5,000 grand prize and being crowned a world champion.
In order to win the competition, one is judged based on three categories: technical ability, execution, and style. The technical ability is the flips, spins, twists that one can perform in their 30 second allotment. Execution is how comfortable and smooth each person looks while making each move. And of course style, where the flare and spark comes out in every contestant.
The 2019 edition saw 80 participants, the most AArrow has ever seen. Most came from the United States as well as some coming from Germany, Poland, and South Korea. The winner Matt Doolan was originally flipping signs in his hometown of Frisco, Texas and was discovered over a video posted on Twitter that was viewed by over 3 million people.
So when it comes to competitive sports, the most exposure comes to the leagues that are shown on television yet there are many unique sport options out in this world that could be the right fit for anybody.
