Wide world of weird sports

There’s no shortage of oddball sports trying to attract fans.
In October 2010, I wrote about 10 such sports. They included women’s lingerie football (Legends Football League), competitive eating (Major League Eating), professional video game playing (Major League Gaming) and beer pong (World Series of Beer Pong).
Other websites have compiled their own lists of goofy sports. Here are a few notable ones. Let’s see how they stack up. Warning: there’s a good deal of overlap.

10 Quirky Sporting Events (Neatorama; Nov. 24, 2009)

1. Toe Wrestling
2. Cheese Rolling
3. Poohsticks
4. Extreme Ironing
5. Buzkashi
6. Cell Phone Throwing
7. International Regatta of Bathtubs
8. Chess Boxing
9. Unicycle Hockey
10. Rock Paper Scissors League

17 Sports You Didn’t Know Existed – videos (Huffington Post; June 28, 2011)

1. Beard championships
2. Gurning (competition to make the ugliest facial expression)
3. Canine freestyle dancing
4. Beer pong championships
5. Cheese rolling
6. Cup stacking
7. Blo-Ball
8. Wife carrying
9. Extreme ironing
10. Rock paper scissors
11. Shin-kicking
12. Toe wrestling
13. Pig-n-Ford Racing
14. Segway Polo
15. Chess boxing
16. Joggling
17. Competitive eating

The 10 Most Insane “Sports” in the World (Cracked; Sept. 26, 2007)

1. Royal Shrovetide Football
2. Kabaddi
3. World Mountain Bike Bog Snorkeling Championships
4. Chess Boxing
5. Jai-Alai
6. The Eton Wall Game
7. Buzkashi
8. Eukonkanto (Wife carrying)
9. Hurling
10. The Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling and Wake

The 10 Absolute Craziest Sports on the Planet (Bleacher Report; Sept. 20, 2011)

1. Mokomoko Boxing
2. Lingerie Football
3. Limbo Skating
4. Quidditch
5. Sumo Wrestling
6. Shin Kicking
7. Worm Charming
8. Wife Carrying
9. Bird Song Competition
10. Sepak Takraw

10 of Weirdest World Championships Around (Neatorama; Oct. 3, 2012)

1. Rock, paper, scissors
2. Four square
3. Stone skipping
4. Sauna endurance
5. Mobile phone throwing
6. Toe wrestling
7. Air sex
8. Swamp football
9. Bog snorkeling
10. Sumo suit athletics

6 Insane Sports That Could Be in the Next Olympics (Cracked; Aug. 20, 2008)

1. Dueling pistols
2. Tug of war
3. LeCanne (Canne De Combat)
4. Speed skiing
5. Wushu
6. Rotorsports

10 Odd Discontinued Olympic Sports (Listverse; Sept. 24, 2008)

1. Live pigeon shooting
2. Solo synchronized swimming
3. Dueling pistols
4. Rope climb
5. Standing triple jump
6. Tug of war
7. Roque
8. Jeu de paume (Game of palm)
9. Distance plunging
10. Swimming obstacle race

There’s even a book on the subject of weird sports: “No Dribbling the Squid: Octopush, Shin Kicking, Elephant Polo, and Other Oddball Sports” (2009) by Michael J. Rosen. It’s available from Amazon.com.

Fringe sports looking to attract bigger fan bases

Beyond the big four professional sports leagues in the U.S. (MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL), there are a host of others trying to break through to a wider audience.
Some are in the second tier of professional sports, such as NASCAR, PGA golf, Ultimate Fighting Championship and Major League Soccer.
Others are in the third tier or below. What follows is a list of some of the many lesser sports leagues.

Professional Bowlers Association 

The Professional Bowlers Association is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional 10-pin bowling in the U.S. It was founded in 1958.

Major League Roller Hockey 

Major League Roller Hockey is one of two professional inline hockey leagues in the U.S. It has 20 teams nationwide.

Professional Inline Hockey Association 

The Professional Inline Hockey Association is the other pro inline hockey league in the U.S. The PIHA is composed of 15 teams in Colorado, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

National Lacrosse League 

The National Lacrosse League is a men’s professional indoor lacrosse league in North America. It currently has nine teams, with five in the U.S. and four in Canada.

Major League Lacrosse 

Major League Lacrosse is a men’s field lacrosse league that is made up of eight teams in the U.S.

USA Rugby League 

The USA Rugby League was founded in 2011 by clubs that had broken with the American National Rugby League. The USA Rugby League has 11 teams.

Association of Volleyball Professionals 

Established in 1983, the AVP runs volleyball events worldwide, including the popular AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour.

Extreme Volleyball Professionals 

The EVP produces a beach volleyball tour, with events in six U.S. cities.

Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association 

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association sanctions rodeos in 37 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces.

Professional Bull Riders 

Professional Bull Riders is an international professional bull riding organization based in Pueblo, Colo. And I thought PBR was a cheap beer.

American Bicycle Association 

The American Bicycle Association, aka USA BMX, is a professional BMX bike racing association.

American Ultimate Disc League 

American Ultimate Disc League is one of two professional ultimate Frisbee leagues in the U.S. Its inaugural season began in April 2012. The league currently has 17 teams. Ultimate is a bit like football with Frisbees.

Major League Ultimate 

Major League Ultimate is the other professional ultimate Frisbee league in the U.S. Its inaugural season began in April 2013. It now has eight teams.

Arena Football League 

The Arena Football League is an indoor football league founded in 1987. In 2012, the struggling league took on a sponsor and is now officially called the Net10 Wireless Arena Football League.

World TeamTennis 

Like the Arena Football League, World TeamTennis struck a sponsorship naming deal. It’s officially called Mylan World TeamTennis under a three-year deal reached with the pharmaceuticals company in 2013. The coed professional tennis league is now in its 39th season.

Pro Watercross Tour 

The International Jet Sports Boating Association and Upstate Watercraft Promotions created the Pro Watercross Tour, which showcases the best jet-ski racers.

Alli Sports 

Extreme sports, like the X-Games, are no stranger to sponsorships. Just check out Alli Sports, a division of the NBC Sports Group. It describes itself as a “media, event and branded content company that specializes in action, adventure, and adrenaline based sports,” including skateboarding, BMX, Motocross, snowboarding and freeski. Its events all have major sponsors. They include the Dew Tour sponsored by Mountain Dew, Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship and Red Bull Signature Series.

Photo: AVP star Morgan Beck Miller.

Why do some sports become mainstream successes while others stay on the fringe?

It’s a question I’ve occasionally asked myself: Why do some pro sports like baseball, basketball and football become huge mainstream successes while others don’t?
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer paid $2 billion in cash last week for the middling Los Angeles Clippers NBA basketball team. It was the second largest sum ever paid for a pro sports franchise behind the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, which sold two years ago for $2.1 billion. That’s a lot of money.
But what made those teams and their sports so valuable? The obvious answer is fan support and everything that comes along with it (advertising, sponsorships, merchandising, broadcast rights, etc.)
But why did fans choose those sports to watch, follow and give their hard earned cash to support to begin with?
That’s the big question here. It explains why some sports reach mass popularity while others struggle on the fringe.
I think it starts with the sports that kids play growing up. Little League baseball players can appreciate the skill and athleticism needed to play in the majors. The best of the best make it to the MLB ranks. The same can be said for basketball, football and hockey.
Many kids in the U.S. play soccer and lacrosse, but that hasn’t translated to big support for the professional leagues of those sports. Why is that?
My guess is that people find the back and forth of soccer and lacrosse to be monotonous. The variety of plays and action is much greater with baseball, football and even basketball. And while hockey is a lot like soccer in game play it’s a lot faster and fights often break out on the ice. Fans enjoy the blood sport.
With the big four pro sports in the U.S. firmly established, it’s going to be tough for other sports to gain a foothold. The MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL have size and tradition on their side.
Rival leagues in those sports have not been successful. Consider the failed United Football League (2009-12) and Continental Basketball Association (1946-2009).
So, the teams in the established major leagues are a scarce resource, hence the big price tags.
They also have rich histories and have become parts of our culture. It’s hard to imagine any of the big four professional sports leagues collapsing and falling greatly out of favor.
So where does that leave other professional sports? At best, they can probably rise to the second tier of popularity with NASCAR and PGA golf. Others will stay on the fringe and enjoy niche popularity such as Ultimate Fighting Championship and Major League Soccer.

Related article:

Superstar players, TV coverage and intangibles are the ingredients for a popular pro sport (Dec. 18, 2008)

Photo: Cartoon mocking former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s purchase of the L.A. Clippers. (See Huffington Post.) 

Post-apocalyptic television shows after ‘Revolution’: Lots more to come

NBC’s “Revolution” may be gone, but there are a bunch of post-apocalyptic TV shows waiting in the wings.
Four post-apocalyptic TV dramas are currently airing. They are: AMC’s zombie apocalypse series “The Walking Dead,” the CW’s post-nuclear war drama “The 100,” TNT’s alien combat show “Falling Skies” and Syfy’s alien invasion series “Defiance.”
I’ve written previously about how I think the proliferation of post-apocalyptic shows mirrors our nation’s psyche following 9-11, the Great Recession and Washington’s increased corruption. (See Nov. 30, 2013, article.)

I count at least 12 more post-apocalyptic TV shows in production.
Next month will see the premieres of three such shows.
On June 19, Syfy will premiere “Dominion,” a series based on the 2010 movie “Legion.” The show is described as a supernatural action drama set 25 years after an army of angels waged war on mankind.
On June 22, TNT will premiere “The Last Ship,” which takes place after a global pandemic wipes out 80% of the world’s population.
On June 29, HBO will premiere “The Leftovers,” which concerns a small town dealing with the aftermath of a global Rapture-like event where 2% of the world’s population abruptly disappears without explanation.
But wait, there’s more.
“The X-Files” creator Chris Carter is developing a post-apocalyptic drama series for Amazon.com called “The After.”
Syfy is making a TV series based on the movie “12 Monkeys.” The story follows a time traveler from the post-apocalyptic future who appears in present day on a mission to locate and eradicate the source of a deadly plague that will eventually decimate the human race. It is set to premiere in January 2015, EW and Deadline report.
Syfy also is hoping to do a TV series based on the movie “Waterworld,” which takes place after the polar ice caps melt and flood the Earth.
“The Walking Dead” could be joined by three more zombie apocalypse shows.
AMC is working on an unnamed “Walking Dead” spin-off series. It will feature a new cast of characters dealing with the zombie apocalypse. AMC hopes to premiere the show in 2015, GeekTyrant says.
Syfy is working on its own zombie apocalypse show called “Z Nation.” The 13-episode first season is slated to premiere this fall, EW reports.
Microsoft is starting to produce original TV shows based on its video game franchises. First up is the sci-fi combat drama “Halo.” It could be followed by a TV show based on its zombie survival-horror game “State of Decay,” according to AP.
AMC also is making a series called “Galyntine,” a post-apocalyptic tale about a society that eschews all forms of technology following a global disaster. Sounds a bit like the dearly departed “Revolution.”
USA Network is developing a show called “Colony,” which is a drama set in Los Angeles after an alien invasion and occupation, according to SciFi Mafia.
And finally, on a lighter note, Fox will premiere a high-concept comedy in 2015 starring Will Forte called “Last Man on Earth,” according to EW and the Huffington Post.

See also: List of post-apocalyptic TV dramas.

Photos: Posters for “Dominion” and “The 100”; still photo from “Last Man on Earth.” 

‘Revolution’ ends on major cliffhanger

I was disappointed when NBC recently canceled its world-without-electricity sci-fi drama “Revolution” after just two seasons. The series was one of my favorite shows.
“Revolution” ended its short run on a major cliffhanger that likely will go unresolved. We might never find out what the nano technology that caused the global blackout has in store next for the human race.
In the final minutes of the series finale last week, the invisible nano computer network plays God. It builds an army of followers by appearing as loved ones to select people. It tells those people to travel to the town of Bradbury, Idaho, now located in a region of the former United States called the Wasteland.
Starting with an ice cream shop with a creepy clown logo, it turns on the electricity in the town, welcoming hundreds of misguided followers. Then, fade to black.
There’s always a chance that another network could resurrect the series. But unlike “The Killing,” a show resurrected by Netflix, “Revolution” looks costly to produce.
The good news for fans of post-apocalyptic fiction on TV is that there are more series on the theme coming. I’ll cover that in a follow-up post.

Photos: Stills from the final episode of “Revolution” called “Declaration of Independence” and a sexy photo of “Revolution” co-star Tracy Spiridakos. 

Related: 

Revolution: “Declaration of Independence” (A.V. Club)

‘Revolution’ over: NBC cancels apocalyptic drama (EW.com)

7 interesting science and nature lists: invasive species, medical myths, etc.

Here are some interesting listicles I’ve come across in my website visits. This time the subject is nature and science.

5 Species That Seem to be Trying to Take over the Earth (Cracked)

9 Invasive Species In The U.S. (Huffington Post)

Top 10 Evil Animals (Time)

6 Shockingly Evil Things Babies Are Capable Of (Cracked)

Top 10 Common Medical Myths (Listverse)

20 things you didn’t know you could recycle. (Mother Nature Network)

8 Wonders of the Solar System (Scientific American)

Photo: Asian silver carp jumping out of the water when startled by a boat’s motor. (Student Science). 

Women who sell their virginity and the news media who love them

Every now and then a young woman makes headlines for wanting to sell her virginity to the highest bidder.
Most recently, Elizabeth Raine, a 28-year-old medical school student, put her virginity up for auction. The current high bid is $550,000. Bidding closes on May 7.
To get around U.S. laws prohibiting prostitution, the paid sex act will take place in Australia, where it is legal, according to the Huffington Post.
Raine has a website, a Twitter feed and a blog called Musings of a Virgin Whore.
There have been other high-profile cases of women auctioning their virginity. But many were never consummated.
Update (May 17, 2014): Raine canceled the auction after receiving few legitimate bids, according to the Daily Mail.
Last year, a 21-year-old Brazilian woman, Catarina Migliorini, tried to auction her virginity. But the deal never happened and she felt exploited by the man handling the auction, according to the Huffington Post.
In 2008, a 22-year-old San Diego woman named Natalie Dylan put her virginity up for auction. She wrote on the Daily Beast in 2009 that the bidding reached $3.8 million. Reports later surfaced that the whole thing may have been a hoax, the Mirror reported.
Other young ladies who have made headlines for auctioning their virginity include an 18-year-old Russian woman Shatuniha and an 18-year-old Romanian woman Alina Percea.
Shatuniha reportedly got about $28,000 for her cherry in October 2013, the Mirror and Huffington Post reported. Percea banked about $13,000 for her deflowering in May 2009, the Daily Mail reported.
A Wikipedia entry on “virginity auction” lists 15 newsworthy cases. It says seven were not completed and two were likely hoaxes. Of the rest, two were reportedly completed, three unconfirmed and one (Raine) is in progress.
These cases raise some interesting questions: Why is having sex with a female virgin considered to be such a valuable commodity? Who are these men who place such a high price on it? Why is the media so fascinated with these stories, even though most appear to be hoaxes or publicity stunts?
Well, I can answer the last one. Sex sells. News articles on women who auction off their virginity are titillating and attract attention, especially if there are sexy photos.

Photos: Elizabeth Raine (top) and Shatuniha.