Humans are a creative species who will think of the most original ways to do everything - having fun and being competitive is no different. I have read about some weird stuff over the years, but what has always struck me are some of the craziest sports out there, which make me scratch my head and think "Who the heck thought of doing this for the first time?" Here are a few of my favorites.
The Spanish "sport" of bull running has always made me laugh because it seems so pointless. The famous Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain seems like a big fat no thank you from me. The whole object of this sport is to simply outrun bulls charging at you through the narrow streets of the city, and not get hurt. Hey, you didn't get speared by a large animal while running around, congrats here's a trophy!
Though this sport is now ancient history, the Mayan ball game of Pok-ta-pok has always struck me as interesting and weird. In fact one of the oldest games, dating back 3500 years, this game was played by 2 opposing sides who tried to throw a ball through a stone ring. The first team to get the ball through the hoop was declared the winner. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, the ball used was a stone or rubber ball that was 10 pounds, and the stone ring was 30 feet up on a wall, and horizontal so you couldn’t easily throw it in. Games could last days, and the losing team would have to give someone of their team or extended circle up for human sacrifice. Doesn’t sound so fun anymore, huh?
By far the weirdest sport I have ever heard of is the Central Asian sport of buzkashi. Popular in Tajikistan and other surrounding countries, the object of buzkashi is the drag a dead goat around while on a horse and score goals by dropping it in the designated area on either side of the field. The goat is also headless. While definitely weird and disgusting, this game also seems pointless and dangerous. Often times the games will just turn into a mosh pit in the middle of the field with players just whipping each others’ horses and other players. Sounds kind of funny to watch, actually, as long as someone doesn’t get run over by a horse and die.
