Top 10 Under-Appreciated Team Sports…
I was talking today about watcing field hockey up at Shea Stadium in Highlands Ranch, mentioned the strange cane-like sticks they use to bat the ball around with. Seems like a fun sport, both to play and to watch. Hope my daughters consider playing when they get to high school, I’ll be there to watch!
Being a big sports fan with rather eclectic interests, it got me thinking of other, lesser-known team sports that I’m familiar with. So here it is, my very first top-ten list of Under-appreciated team sports. Yes, field hockey is on the list…
10) VOLLEYBALL: With the Olympics and beach volleyball, this sport got a bit of a “spike” in interest–["HA! I got a million of 'em!"]. Anybody besides me remember the professional volleyball league back in the 1970s? Wilt Chamberlain played it in, after his NBA career was over. Would work better, I think with a time clock rather than a point limit. Run the clock when the ball is in play, maybe four eight minute periods?
9) CRICKET: I’ve always thought that there was a place for this sport in North America, given the popularity of baseball here. Seems like I remember one of the major networks recently promoting their televising a cricket series, but never heard anything more about it. Bet it hurts to ge whacked with that wooden ball!
8 ) WATER POLO: People have told me that this sport requires an incredible amount of stamina and energy to play. You could have cool skull caps with logos!
7) JAI-ALAI: Technically not exclusively a team sport, although they do have doubles and other multiple player versions, depending on the casino. At one time, this was a big spectator (gambling) sport in Vegas–that’s where I saw it, yaers ago–but I don’t think they do it there anymore. Still alive in Connecticut and Florida from what I understand. Fun to watch, and requires a fair amount of skill, strength and speed. Having $$$ on the players makes it more exciting, obviously.
6) RUGBY: Not a fan myself, but it does seem to have it’s following. One of the Denver suburbs–I can’t remember which–just finished building a new rugby stadium, in hopes of increasing this sport’s profile. They face an uphill climb, going up against the NFL!
5) FIELD HOCKEY: See my earlier comments…
4) CANADIAN FOOTBALL: Another sport over-shadowed by the NFL. It wasn’t TOO long ago that the Candian pro league was actually competing AGAINST the NFL for player talent! Joe Theismann? Johnny Rodgers? Tom Cousineau? Jim Stillwagon? Anyone?…Anyone? All big college stars who signed with the CFL in the 1970s. I actually ENJOY Canadian football. The bigger field and only three downs to get ten yards makes for a pretty exciting game. Believe it or not, the CFL actually expanded into the U.S. in the 1990s, I watched the San Antonio team play in the Alamodome. Would have returned the following year–if there had BEEN a “following year” for the team!
3) FLICKERBALL: Amazes me how few people have heard about this sport. It’s a sort of hybrid between basketball and football. Played with a standard football, ten-on-ten, pass to anyone, as long as the ball is caught you advance down the field, object is to throw the ball through a goal at the end of the field. Hit the goal, get a point, THROUGH the goal, get three points. Incomplete pass turns the ball over to the other team. Fun to play!
2) BOX LACROSSE: They play it at the Pepsi Center ever winter/spring, the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League. This is an AWESOME game that is just BEGGING for national exposure. It’s like hockey, except with shoes instead of skates, and lots more goals. This sport seemingly has all the ingredients you want in a big-time pro sport, but for some reason it just hasn’t caught om–YET!!
1) ROLLER DERBY: Most people don’t remember, but at one time–back in the 1940s–roller derby was the third biggest spectator sport in America, behind major league baseball and pro football! “Wha happened?” Well, it would take too long to go into it here, but let’s just say I’m rooting for the recent revival of the sport here in Denver and in other cities. If anbody connected with that league is reading this–you HAVE to get a banked track!! Playing roller derby on a flat floor just doesn’t have the same excitement!