In the world of sports, popularity and participation are critical factors. Without players or spectators, any sport will be quickly forgotten and disappear (although this is not always the worst).
We present you the most unusual and forgotten sports games.
5. Tug of eel
Opens the top 5 of the most unusual and forgotten sports games brutal 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, in the role of which was the soapy eel. The second is an attempt to grab the eel suspended above the canal. The participants of the fun sailed along the canal in a boat and had to jump to grab a fish hanging on a rope. For many athletes, this ended with swimming in cold water.
4. Throwing a 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 batons (when there were no sticks at hand). If a player fell into a rooster without killing him, he was allowed to try to finish off the stunned bird before it wakes up. If successful, 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. Having learned about this, the indignant 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 football. Often used as a way to resolve disputes between communities. Given that sometimes the captain of the losing team was sacrificed, it is easy to imagine the passions during the competition.
The sporting event was held on a large platform, which was surrounded on all sides by the yielding walls. Players had to hit the mark on the wall of opponents with a ball of hard rubber. Unusual in the game was that the ball could not touch the ground, that is, 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 movement of the ball, points were removed from the team.
2. Tossing a fox
Ancient and unusual sports entertainment was common in the 17-18 centuries. They played in pairs on a large fenced area. On the ground lay slings, the ends of which were held by team members. When the animal ran to the mantle, both players, tugging at the ends of the sling, threw the fox into the air. The couple, who managed to throw the live sports equipment to the highest height, became the winner. The record was a fox throw at 7.5 meters.
Foxes were not the only involuntary participants in this strange sports game. Other animals (hares, badgers, wolves and even wild boars) were used when the fox was not "at hand". Sport was dangerous for all participants because frightened animals often attacked people.
1. Navahiya
Ancient Roman entertainment, in which warships participated, leads the rating of the most unusual and forgotten sports games. The Coliseum 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 Field of Mars, and 2 thousand gladiators at 16 galleys fought each other for the amusement of the crowd. And by 52 AD Navachia has become as popular and bloody as gladiatorial fights. The Romans even began to incorporate aspects of the theater into this amazing sport, depicting sea battles between the Greeks and Persians. Then, during the Flavian dynasty, mentions of Nawmachi suddenly disappeared from Roman texts. Historians do not know why this happened.
