SlamBall: Difference between revisions
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*Slashers (runners up 2003) |
*Slashers (runners up 2003) |
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*Steal |
*Steal |
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Butt Rapeing Pirates |
*Butt Rapeing Pirates |
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*Cunt Nuggets |
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===Positions=== |
===Positions=== |
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There are four players on the court at any one time and substitutions come in on the fly, as in hockey. There are three positions: |
There are four players on the court at any one time and substitutions come in on the fly, as in hockey. There are three positions: |
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Revision as of 18:00, 1 March 2007
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Slamball is a four player team sport loosely based on basketball. It is played on a combination of surfaces, combining the acrobatics of the trampoline, the physical play of ice hockey, and elements of basketball, particularly the slam dunk.
Four trampolines are set at floor level around a padded basketball rim and backboard on either end of the court, serving as launching pads. The object of the game is to outscore the opposing team. A dunk is awarded 3 points. A successful block of a shot is called a stop.
Professional slamball games were aired on television by Spike TV for two seasons in 2002 through 2003.
History
Slamball is the creation of Mason Gordon, who wanted to create a combination of sports that approximated a real-life video game. Upon developing concept, he approached Mike Tollin, a TV and film producer of Smallville and Coach Carter fame. After giving it some thought, he agreed to help Gordon. Six months after their first meeting, a court was constructed in a warehouse in East Los Angeles.
Gordon then tried to convince street basketball players to test his new idea; he wanted to find skilled, strong players who could compete comfortably while launching off trampolines and crashing into each other in mid-air. He found five additional players who were willing to practice for an average of fifteen hours a day. [citation needed]
James Willis, Sean Jackson, David Redmond, Michael Goldman and Jeff Sheridan trained with Gordon to produce the first games, which attracted crowds from the local area.[citation needed] Soon, more players were brought in, including Stan Fletcher and Dion Mays.
First played in Los Angeles, California, the game gained attention from street basketball players in the area. Within a year, 400 people had been enlisted as potential players. In 2002, slamball made its television debut, on the TNN network, soon after former Philadelphia 76ers owner Pat Croce had signed on as a partner. The game was also sporadically covered on ESPN. Slamball also aired on the British television station Trouble.
In anticipation of a second season of Slamball on both Spike TV and the TNN, two expansion teams (the Riders and Bandits) were added and a new court was built at Universal City, California.
Upcoming
Slamball has been featured in media around the world and has secured deals for live events in Europe, Asia and Israel.[citation needed]
Slamball has secured a major sponsor to back a College Slamball tournament to take place in Atlanta during the NCAA final four in March 2007.[citation needed]
Plans for the 2007 season are ongoing and the sport has received upwards of 45,000 applications from prospective players.[citation needed]
Media Exposure
On television, the sport has been seen on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, King of Queens, ESPN's Sportscenter and The Best Damn Sports Show Period. In print, Slamball has been featured in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Time Magazine and European editions of Maxim, GQ and FHM.
A fan site featuring articles analyzing games, player interviews, a message board and chat room, is maintained by a group of "fan reporers".
Teams
- Bandits
- Bouncers
- Diablos (runners up 2002)
- Mob
- Riders (winners 2003)
- Rumble (winners 2002)
- Slashers (runners up 2003)
- Steal
- Butt Rapeing Pirates
- Cunt Nuggets
Positions
There are four players on the court at any one time and substitutions come in on the fly, as in hockey. There are three positions:
- Handler runs the offense and handles the ball
- Gunner primary scorer
- Stopper primary defensive player. Trails the offense only when necessary, protects the rim from attacking players
Standout Players
Dion Mays, Stopper and first year MVP for the champion Rumble, averaged 10 stops. The following season rookie Stopper Adam Hooker (6' 6", 240lb) stopped more than 24 shots per game for the runner-up Slashers. Other notable Stoppers are Antony White (led Diablos in blocks and scoring), Kevin Cassidy (known for wrestling the ball from the offensive player in mid-air), Kevin "Special K" Kalisz, and the particularly aggressive George Byrd (6'9" and 290lbs).
Offensive standouts include Handler Sean "Inches" Jackson (5' 10"), Steal Gunner Stan Fletcher (6'3"), Chris "The Ghetto Bird" Young, James "Champ" Willis, who won back to back championships with two different teams, David Jackson, and MVP Jelani Janisse.
Trivia
- In the 1989 movie Back to the Future Part II, Slamball was listed as the favorite sport of Douglas J Needles while Marty McFly was speaking with him via videophone.
- In the Star Wars novels and comic books, Slamball is the name of the most popular sport in the galaxy.