Extreme Medieval sports?

[Graf]

Someone recently pitched me a DnD character idea, basically a version of the "sports hero who was injured and forced to stop playing".
I'm not adverse to the idea: The world in question would include gladiatorial combat already so while I would worry about being a little bit out-of-genre it isn't wildly off base.

I'm curious about whether there were historically any non-combat gladiatorial sports?
Or any team events at all in gladiatorial combat or pre-modern societies?

(the character would be low level non-combat class so he can't have been a skilled repeat participant in any event that involves fighting)

 

[KenM]

Caber (SP?) catching. LOL

 

[adembroski3]

Soccer's been around for ages, I know that. It might have developed later than medieval times, I'm not much of a sports historian, but I know it's old.

The ancient Aztaks (I think) had a sort of soccer like sport that was played in a large arena. Instead of a goal, there was a stone hoop suspended above the field on either end of the arena... unlike in basketball, the hoop is perpendicular with the ground. The object is to get the ball through the hoop, and no use of hands.

On a side note, losers were decapitated.

There is also the medieval sport of jousting, as well as the many other tournament events such as the melee, and the weapon-specific competitions. SSS's R&R Excalibur and Monggose Publishing's The Quintessential Fighter both have rules on these sorts of tournaments.

 

[kolvar]

Around the world, there have been a lot of sports, that would work in medieval times. Soccer, as it is today, was not around that early, but the game it came from, Rugby (and probably football) evolved from, too.
Several games with small balls (like the aztek game described above) where played.
LaCrosse was invented by native americans. Any game with a small ball that does not require a even floor would work (hockey, hurling). Just drop most of the nifty rules (everythiing that slows down the game and is hard to check)

 

[Oni]

Racing is about one of the oldest forms of human competition that I can think of, be it on foot or in a chariot or whatever have you.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Olympics

 

[GrumpyOldMan]

Jousting, but mediaeval tournaments also had other forms of armed conflict plus jugglers, wrestling, tug-of war (and probably pie eating contests!).

GOM

 

[Aaron2]

I'm curious about whether there were historically any non-combat gladiatorial sports?

The usual suspects would be jousts or hunting.

There was a sport called bandyball which was similar to field hocky. In England, it was banned because of the injuries and interference with training.
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Track/2049/English/Bandyhistory.html

It Italy, gangs would fight huge mock battles called "battagliola" with sticks.
http://www.thehaca.com/essays/BridgeWars.htm

In the roman empire there was the Hippica Gymnasia. Two teams, riding horses, would take turns throwing dummy javelins at each other. Points were scored for hitting the opponents shield.


Aaron

 

[cerberus2112]

The ancient Aztaks (I think) had a sort of soccer like sport that was played in a large arena. Instead of a goal, there was a stone hoop suspended above the field on either end of the arena... unlike in basketball, the hoop is perpendicular with the ground. The object is to get the ball through the hoop, and no use of hands.

On a side note, losers were decapitated.

I thought they killed the winners, not the losers. It was a sacrifice to the sun god, and surely he'd want the best.

 

[derelictjay]

I thought they killed the winners, not the losers. It was a sacrifice to the sun god, and surely he'd want the best.

Nope it was the losers. And that game was played by the aformentioned Aztecs, and the Mayans, and maybe by the Charo people of New Mexico and possibly even the Incans of South America as similar courts have been found in those countries.

Anyways any sport you put in gotta use some magical side, like a game of basketball in which not only do you play against the opposing team, but the ball, and maybe even the basket do things to make the game harder. Like the ball flies around when not under control by someone. Or maybe have certain spells eligable for the game, like having a wizard cast jump on the center, of course you can't cast the spells in game but in stoppages of the game, makes fouling more periless in the game.