Ok, so originally, we’d planned on posting our monthly travel blog this week. But, like so many others, we got caught up in Super Bowl hysteria. The only difference is that, instead of ‘hysteria’, we thought this week might be a good time to focus on the ‘hysterical’. And yes, while millions of people around the world will be tuning in to watch that ultimate American football game this Sunday, we thought we’d give you some Super Bowl options.
Because there is no shortage of other weird sports that you might want to watch instead.
Sports is an enormous part of human cultures, with many sports originating ages ago and being handed down to us today in their modern incarnations. We’re lucky enough to live in a time when a lot of us have a lot of free time, which means we’re constantly inventing and re-inventing sports, so it’s no surprise that the world of athletic competition sometimes takes a walk on the weird side. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean the world’s weirdest sports are new; in fact, many of the strangest ones were invented eons ago, before we had the Internet to keep ourselves entertained.
From single competitor sports to team competitions, you only need to look at the FIFA World Cup, the Olympic games, or this weekend’s Super Bowl to see that for billions of people around the world, elite sports offer something elemental and irresistible. Yet across the globe, there are some wildly popular alternative sports involving amateurs that are equally…’appealing’ might not be the appropriate word here, let’s say ‘entertaining’. From lawnmower racing to wife-carrying, despite having hardly any multi-million-dollar sponsorship deals and being characterized as deeply strange, there’s no shortage of entertainment on offer. So don’t change the channel as we take a look at some of the weird sports you might want to watch.
Grits Rolling Contest – Single Competitor:
Back in 1985, the manager of the local Piggly Wiggly supermarket in St. George, South Carolina said that, based on sales, St. George (population around 2,000) must be the biggest consumer of grits, per capita, in the world. And a celebration was born.
The annual three-day fest of all thing’s grits (a porridge made from coarsely ground dried maize or hominy cooked in warm salted water or milk) culminates in the Grits Rolling Contest. Contestant’s dive into a kiddie-pool filled with the stuff and have 10 seconds to collect as much as they can on their bodies.
Participants are weighed before and after their “swim”, and whoever comes out carrying the most grits wins. Some contestants duct tape their cuffs and sleeves shut for trapping the grits inside, while others wear backward-facing sweatshirts, scooping with their hoods. In 2015, Tiffany McGirr, wearing extra-baggy pants hoisted up by suspenders, collected a whopping 66 pounds (30 kg) of grits.
Bog Snorkeling – Single Competitor:
This competition began after a conversation in a pub (no surprise there) in Wales in 1985 and has been held every year since. Competitors aim to complete two consecutive lengths of a 60-yard (55 meters) water-filled trench cut through a peat bog in the shortest time possible, wearing snorkel, diving mask, and flippers.
They must complete the course without swimming, relying on flipper power alone.
Cheese Rolling – Single Competitor:
The exact origin of cheese rolling is unclear, but the annual event at the end of May in Gloucester, England used to be just for locals. Now people come from all over the world to compete for glory during the Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake.
The format is fairly straight-forward. From the top of the hill, a 7–9-pound (3–4 kg) round of Double Gloucester cheese is sent rolling down the hill, which is 200 yards (180 m) long. Competitors then start racing down the hill after the cheese. The first person over the finish line at the bottom of the hill wins the cheese. The competitors aim to catch the cheese; however, it has around a one-second head start and can reach speeds up to 70 mph (110 kph), enough to knock over and injure a spectator. Multiple races are held during the day, with separate events for men and women. Sadly, in the 2013 competition, a foam replica replaced the cheese for safety reasons.
Extreme Ironing – Single or Multiple Competitors:
This unique “sport” started when an English man, inspired by his eccentric brother who ironed clothes on camping trips, started ironing in bizarre places like an airport or on top of telephone booths.
According to the Extreme Ironing Bureau (EIB), extreme ironing is “the latest danger sport that combines the thrills of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt.” The first Extreme Ironing World Championship was held near Munich, Germany in 2022 with competitors from 10 nations.
Wife-Carrying – Single (sort of) Competitors:
If you thought the Finns were progressive and all about gender equality, think again. This is a country that invented the sport of “wife-carrying,” sometimes known as “wife running.” The sport is basically an annual competition where husbands run an obstacle course while carrying their wives on their backs.
Legend has it this curious sport is a nod to the ancient custom of wife stealing, whereby gangs of Finnish robbers raided villages and made off with other men’s wives. The most famous competition is held in Sonkjärvi, Finland, where the sport was invented. There are different carrying styles, including piggybacking, fireman’s carry, and the Estonian-style, where the woman hangs upside-down with her legs around the man’s shoulders. The man is penalized 15 seconds for dropping his wife. The winner receives his wife’s weight in beer.
Hornussen – Multiple Competitors:
The Swiss are known for banking and chocolate and the Alps, but did you know that they invented Hornussen? No, you probably didn't. Described as a hybrid of baseball and golf, Hornussen sees two teams of 18 take turns hitting and fielding the “Hornuss,” a puck named after hornets for its buzzing sound as it whistles through the air.” The “hornuss” is tossed into the air by the striker, who hits the puck with a whip to launch it. Players on the opposing team then try to knock the puck out of the air with schindels, big placards on long sticks, that they toss into the air.
With pucks whizzing towards you at speeds akin to an F1 car, stopping them is no mean feat. Teams consist of 18 players and games are played in 4 quarters. Although Hornussen is an old sport (the first recorded incident is a complaint about 2 men playing on a Sunday in 1625), it’s only starting to gain recognition outside of Switzerland, with an international association founded in 2012.
Chess Boxing – Individual Competition:
Chess boxing, or chessboxing, is a hybrid sport that combines two traditional disciplines: chess and boxing. Two combatants play alternating rounds of blitz chess and boxing until one wins by checkmate or knockout.
The first competition took place in Berlin in 2003 with the first world championship being held in Amsterdam that same year. Events are held in a standard boxing ring using standard amateur boxing equipment and rules. The chess round is also played in the ring with the table, board, and seating being moved in and out of the ring for each round. The goal is to strike your opponent hard enough to impair their ability to think while playing chess or confuse them with chess strategies and divert their attention from boxing. Depending on which happens first, you can win this sport by knockout or checkmate. (video
Shin Kicking – Individual Competition:
First “played” in 1612, shin kicking is a sport, believe it or not.
The South of England is a hotspot for this unusual sport. The game's objective is repeatedly kicking your opponent in the shin to bring them to the ground. Before the game begins, you must shove straw down your pants and put on a lab coat for whatever reason, before you can start grappling and kicking your opponent. A referee (also in a lab coat) keeps a careful eye on the game to ensure the regulations are followed. The combatant that wins six out of ten against his opponent is the winner. Ambulance crews also attend the events in case of injury. Shin kicking has been referred to as England’s martial arts.
Tuk-Tuk Polo – Multiple Competitors:
Tuk-Tuk polo is a sport invented in Sri Lanka in 2016. The sport is a variation of polo, in which players are on motorized vehicles called tuk-tuks. (The sport was developed as a replacement for another version of polo played on elephant backs which was discontinued in 2007 after one of the elephants went on a rampage.) Each team consists of players riding tuk-tuk's.
On each tuk-tuk is a driver who is responsible for piloting the vehicle and a player who is responsible for striking the ball. Players use short mallet like sticks to wield the ball. The object is to score as many goals as possible by striking the ball through the goalposts.
Bo-Taoshi – Multiple Competitors:
Japanese people can often be regarded as reserved and almost always unfalteringly polite, but occasionally that all goes out the window and some much rawer version of the national psyche is unleashed. That’s certainly the case during Bo-Taoshi, a breathtakingly violent game in which a team of 75 must defend a pole against an equal number of attackers.
Created as a training exercise for the Japanese military, Bo-Taoshi is bizarre, chaotic, wild, and highly entertaining. It is similar to capture the flag, but much more extreme and will always result in complete mayhem with 75 players on attack and 75 on defense. The attacking team must bring a wooden pole (that is perpendicular to the ground) down to a 30-degree angle. The defending team must stop them, and they do this in a (not very) organized manner with different positions.
Pole support holds the pole in position, barriers protect the pole and are the largest part of the defense, interference harass attackers that get within the barrier, scrum disablers eliminate the offensive tactic of spring boarding, and the ninja (easily the best position) sits atop the pole and leans to the opposite side if it is being tilted to counteract the weight. (video
Face Slapping – Individual Competition:
It’s tempting to laugh about the Russian sport of face slapping, right up until the moment you see it. Hulking men standing angrily at tables are allowed unguarded, open-handed strikes at their opponent’s face. These are then reciprocated.
No blocking, no crying. It’s perhaps unsurprising that when a man the size of a Kodiak bear slaps a saucer-sized paw on the face of a rival, knock outs are possible. More surprising is that these violent contests usually end in a hug and a handshake. The match is over when one of the contenders submits or is knocked out.
Lawnmower Racing – Individual Competition:
Like all the best ideas, lawnmower racing entered the world via a pub. It was 1973 and a group of wannabe racers from West Sussex in England, dreamed of making motorsport – historically the preserve of the wealthy – more accessible to the masses.
Over a few pints they came up with lawnmower racing, where competitors race modified lawnmowers, usually of the ride-on or self-propelled variety.
Lawnmower racing now has its own governing body – the British Lawn Mower Racing Association the (BLRA) – and a 30-race championship that runs from May to October. Most races are part of larger rural events (where spectators can experience other eccentric pursuits such as ferret racing.) The BLRA advises spectators to bring packed lunches with them to races.
After this brief look at some weird, yet strangely entertaining games two things become very clear: 1 – the Super Bowl doesn’t need to worry about losing viewers just yet. And 2 - it’s clear that we should never underestimate humanity’s ability to turn the mad or the mundane into a competitive sport.
In our pursuit of amusement, it seems we can create some of the strangest things imaginable to serve as competition. These peculiar pastimes reveal something profound about our collective desire for novelty and amusement, transcending cultural barriers and geographical boundaries. While the mainstream sports capture the spotlight, it's these offbeat competitions that remind us of the boundless creativity and quirkiness within the human spirit.
Moreover, these strange sports underscore the universal human inclination towards community and shared experiences. Whether it's chasing wheels of cheese down a hill or snorkeling in a bog, these activities bring people together, fostering camaraderie and shared memories. In a world too often divided by differences, these oddities serve as bridges, connecting individuals through laughter, camaraderie, and the shared pursuit of the extraordinary.
Ultimately, this Wide World of Weird Sports challenges us to redefine our notions of athleticism and competition. It's a testament to the human capacity for innovation and the endless possibilities when imagination meets determination. So, the next time you stumble upon a lawnmower race or a face-slapping contest, remember that behind the absurdity lies a profound celebration of the human spirit—an invitation to embrace that weird and wonderful tapestry of life that we keep discovering here.
Have you participated in any of these sports? We’d love to hear about it, or any others that we might have omitted, in the comments below.
#taylorswift #superbowl #lasvegas #allegiantstadium #patrickmahomes #kansascitychiefs #chiefs #christianmccaffrey #sanfrancisco49ers #49ers #football #sports #fifa #worldcup #olympics #games #wales #england #finland #japan #cheese #germany #switzerland #chess #russia #boxing #srilanka #tuktuk #polo #anyhigh
What a collection of weird human behavior!! Lol