This is Calcio Fiorentino - Florentine Soccer. (It's like MMA meets Rugby.)
Why? Why not? The cranky old farts might find this manly, the brilliant young ladies might find some of these guys kinda hot. Something for everyone!
Some thoughts (in no particular order).
- Can I buy a pair of those awesome pro sport Renaissance breeches at Nike Town?
- What did Hemingway think of this? On the plus side, fists. On the minus side, ball.
- How do you know when a fight breaks out?
- Is this cross training for the NHL? Should it be?
- Where is the women's league? Don't they have Title 9 in Italy? No?
What the FFF? I only lasted 2.30 of the 50 minutes on offer. We need Mauro, stat. Just so he can explain.
ReplyDeleteCan I buy a pair of those awesome pro sport Renaissance breeches at Nike Town?
ReplyDeletelewy, lol! That's a perfect description.
WTH is this? It's bizarre! I'm not a rugby fan but I'm really into MMA. And this is really not MMA, not on any serious scale, I think they just threw a few boxing and grappling moves in. Anyway, it is surely a first, I never heard of such a thing.
There's a link to a wikipedia article on this sport - here.
ReplyDeleteFay, your idea of asking Mauro was dead on - turns out that this sport, while originally practiced in Renaissance Italy (hence the costumes), was revived in modern times by... (drum roll)... Il Duce himself! Kinda figures...
So today I learned floranista is an MMA fan! You _really_ should be on twitter, flo, you'd have an _excellent_ 140 character profile!
The players are awesome but they're very, very amateur... if there is any community which would bring this to the states, it might be the MMA folks... there are quite a few amateurs who participate, and it could give them a venue to employ their skills as a team. Plus it would be very cool to see the chicks do this. You'd get to 10 million views on YouTube very, very quickly...
The women's world champion bantamweight is fighting today in Brazil. It's a huge event for the sport. Even though Dana White (runs the company) stated unequivocally that women would never fight in the UFC when asked several years ago, he quickly changed his tune when he realized how lucrative it could be for the sport It started out as something of a side-show but has definitely gained legitimacy and a strong following. I don't think women should fight but I will still be watching it today.
ReplyDeleteWith Dana White, if it had a PPV audience, it flies.
Thanks for the wiki link, lewy, it was intriguing. I'm still not sure what the "Palio" is. Here are the 3 best parts of the article:
ReplyDeleteIn 1574 Henry III of France attended a game of "bridge fighting" - put on in his honor during a visit to Venice; the king is recorded as saying: "Too small to be a real war and too cruel to be a game".
The game starts when the Pallaio throws the ball towards the center line, followed by a small cannon firing; the shot announces the beginning of the contest.
I am in favor of any sport that uses a cannon.
The prize is also interesting, because along with the Palio, the winning team used to receive a Chianina, a type of cow. However, the prize has been reduced to a free dinner for the winning team; the players earn no other compensation.
Bravo!
I haven't heard of this sport before; it's bizarre but strangely captivating! The bloomers remind me of the Swiss Guard, lol. Yes, we definitely need Mauro!
ReplyDeleteI knew you enjoyed boxing florrie, but didn't know you were into MMA too. Em is really fascinated by American Ninja Warrior, and we've been watching enjoying those competitions. :)
I'm with Em, I LOVE ANW, I've followed my favorites for years! The ladies are doing really well too which is so cool.
ReplyDeleteI've been watching MMA since 2005; I used to love boxing but really only followed it during the Ali/Foreman years. Mike Tyson was such a @#$%^& that it turned me off the sport all together.
I too loved the Ali years. Boxing is crap these days; a gaggle of loud-mouthed thugs and posers. Bleh.
DeleteYou and Em would have a blast watching ANW! She knows a lot of the competitors, and can recite a litany of stats and facts. She's really into it!