In the world of sports, popularity and participation are critical factors. Without players or spectators, any sport will quickly be forgotten and disappear (though not always for the worse).
We present you the most unusual and forgotten sports games.
5. Pulling the eel
Opens the top 5 most unusual and forgotten sports games violent entertainment popular in the Netherlands in the 19th century. There were two main varieties of this sport. One of them is the classic tug-of-war, played by a soapy eel. The second is an attempt to grab an eel suspended above the canal. The participants in the amusement swam along the canal in a boat and had to jump to grab a fish hanging on a rope. For many athletes, this ended with a dip in cold water.
4. Throwing at the cock
This unusual and deservedly forgotten bloody sport was known in England until the 18th century. The rooster was tied to a pole, and the players threw various objects at it: from sharp sticks to clubs (when there were no sticks at hand). If the player hit the rooster without killing him, he was allowed to try to finish off the stunned bird before it wakes up. In case of luck, the winner took the trophy for himself.
The tradition of throwing a rooster was associated with Shrovetide (on the last day before Lent). Also, fun was often practiced in pubs, the winner received a rooster as a prize.
In 1660, the game was banned in Bristol. Upon learning of this, the outraged townspeople went to the mayor's house and began to throw dogs and cats at the windows.
3. Pitz
An ancient Mayan sports game similar to soccer. It was often used as a way to settle disputes between communities. Given that sometimes the captain of the losing team was sacrificed, it's easy to imagine the heat of the competition.
The sporting event took place on a large area surrounded by stepped walls on all sides. The players had to hit the mark on the opponents' wall with a ball made of hard rubber. Unusual in the game was that the ball could not touch the ground, that is, the athletes had to intercept it in the air. If the ball touched the ground more than two times or the players used their hands to direct the ball, points were deducted from the team.
2. Tossing the fox
The ancient and unusual sports entertainment was widespread in the 17-18 centuries. They played in pairs, on a large fenced area. On the ground lay sling, the ends of which were held by the team members. When the animal ran to the sling, both players, pulling the ends of the sling, threw the fox into the air. The couple who managed to throw a live sports equipment to the highest height became the winner. The record was the fox's 7.5 meter throw.
The foxes weren't the only unwitting participants in this strange sports game. Other animals (hares, badgers, wolves and even wild boars) were used when the fox was not at hand. The sport was dangerous for all participants, because frightened animals often attacked people.
1. Naumachia
Topping the rating of the most unusual and forgotten sports games is ancient Roman entertainment, in which warships took part. The Colosseum was filled with water, and an imitation of a naval battle unfolded before the eyes of the audience.
The first recorded "match" dates back to 45 BC.Julius Caesar ordered to dig a giant lake on the Champ de Mars, and 2 thousand gladiators in 16 galleys fought with each other for the amusement of the crowd. And by 52 A.D. Naumachia became as popular and bloody as gladiatorial combat. The Romans even began to incorporate aspects of theater into this amazing sport, depicting naval battles between Greeks and Persians. Then, during the Flavian dynasty, references to navachia suddenly disappeared from Roman texts. Historians don't know why this happened.