Playing under pressure takes on a whole new meaning
Sports have long been a fundamental form of entertainment, culminating in the high stakes pay-per-view playoffs that dominate TV ratings today. Yet none have ever been as riveting as the original team sport - an antiquated Central American ballgame that dates back as far as 1,500 BC.
Known simply as the “Mesoamerican Ballgame,” the sport was played by numerous pre-Columbian civilizations throughout modern-day Mexico and Central America. And although much of the rules remain a mystery, most historians agree the games closely resembled modern day racquet ball, where contestants used their hips to bounce a hefty rubber ball up into the air instead of a racquet.
Stone hachaBritish Museum
Stone hacha (From the collection of British Museum)
Olmec stone mask (-900/-400)British Museum
Olmec stone mask, -900/-400 (From the collection of British Museum)
The ball could weigh up to a whopping nine pounds, which often resulted in bloody battles from the get-go. Players did have protective gear to don on the ball courts – thirteen hundred ball courts to be exact – such as metallic belts, though these 60-pound belts were often a bit too weighty for their worth and was generally used for ceremonial purposes instead.
Ceremonial ballgame belt (300/1200)British Museum
Ceremonial ballgame belt, 300/1200 (From the collection of British Museum)
So, what did ancient ball players win at the end of this Mesoamerican Ballgame?
Typically, their life! The entire ritual was of profound religious importance and if life or limb was not lost on the fields due to the weighty sports equipment, the game would eventually lead to the losing team being sacrificed to the gods in a battle of “good vs evil.”
No pressure on that penalty shootout, then.
