“The punk rock of the sports world”.
“Trampoline infused basketball”.
“That topsy-turvy sport?”
“Idiots bouncing around on trampolines, trying (and failing) to play basketball.”
“Wait, you mean Back to the Future Part II was right?!”
These are all descriptions of one of the most cockeyed, but beloved, sports of the ages:
Slamball.
And while slamball basically went extinct nearly 20 years ago, better or for worse, it’s being resurrected in 2023.
To millennials who can remember the later 1990s/early 2000s and were into sports, Slamball is a futuristic-sounding sport that ended around 2008 due to a disagreement between its creator ad the network partner. Slamball is kind of a wacky sport that has legend status in the minds of basketball and extreme sports fans alike. While regular sports like football and basketball are not considered extreme, mixing those two, adding in trampolines and some gymnastics for flair has many people referring to it as the “extreme sports of regular sports.” And, honesty we agree.
Plus, it’s basically proving that time travel exists.
“Back to the Future Part II” predicted its existence in 1985, over a decade before the sport came into existence, and it was inspired in part by a video game.
What more proof do you need?
What Exactly is Slamball?
“Frankenstein’s monster of American-made fan-favorite full-contact sports.”
“A complete wack ado.”
Okay, okay, here is the serious explanation:
Slamball combines different sports together – the physicality of football, hockey moves, basketball finesse, and viscous trampoline bouncing – to create an amped up version of basketball, where the players use trampolines to elevate themselves and shoot the ball through the hoop. There are four trampolines surrounding each net, and players have to score points by shooting the ball into the opponent’s net. A successful shoot will gain 2 points while a dunk will gain 3 points…it might sound simple, but wait till you see it in action.
See what we mean? Bouncing, dunking, extreme madness.
Slamball Mostly Looks Like Tackle Basketball
The end result of slamball mostly looks like tackle basketball that is played in five-minute quarters. The setting takes pace in a basketball-sized court, with four trampolines making up the inner three-point arc area. Thanks to the trampolines, players get huge ups and jumps, trying to score 3-point-worth slams. Any other scores are only worth 2 point, and be aware, the goal in slamball is to win. That means that the only goal of each team is to slam more buckets than the others…and that requires lots of bouncing. Lots and lots of bouncing.
Both teams are made up of four players with three positions: stopper, handler, and gunner. Encouraging open-style court tackles, there’s more “slam” than just slamming the ball through the hoop.
While we seriously believe that time travel had something to do with slamball’s creation, it’s connection to Hollywood has always been loud and clear. And following the rollercoaster ride of the movie world, it’s where Slamball’s story came to an end.
The Rise and Fall Of Slamball
Slamball’s success has been linked to TV right from the get go, with the first season in 2003 having okay ratings. The second season premiere, however, had more than two million viewers, as much as a normal baseball game at the time. Season two saw the sport turn from just an oddity into its own sport, and proving that it deserved to be on mainstream TV.
Getting top players and coaches to sign on for the first and then second season wasn’t a problem, and it looked like it was the beginnings of a new sport that would rival the stardom of oher top American sports. However, there where some behind the scenes aguements that led to Slamball stopping before it really took off.
Spike TV, the network that aired Slamball, wanted to learn more into the drama between the players and teams, but the creater of Slamball, Mason Gordon, was determined to make SlamBall a legitimate sport. After walking away from that network, he tried to market it and build connections for the sport elsewhere, with a few games happening here or there, but nothing solid enough to make a real comeback…till now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byM7yyLf7Fg
The Return of Slamball 2.0
Slamball is about to make its extreme return to the world of sports big time.
“There have been all kinds of people clamoring for SlamBall to come back,” he said. “There has been #BringBackSlamBall media, viewed over 200 million times in the last 12 months. So, I’m ready to announce next summer, 2023, SlamBall is coming back, live!”
And while the team behind its production believe now is the perfect time – with more and more interest in extreme sports, and less viewership on traditional sports – will make this a hit for the younger crowd. However, there seems to be quite a nostalgia hit for many people who remember the sport when it was first on air.
People Obviously Have Gravitated To The Action
“SlamBall just kind of fits the bill. They’re 20-minute games. Television half hours. People obviously have really gravitated to the action, and it’s this incredible mash-up between basketball, football, hockey, a little bit of gymnastics, little bit of video games, that’s just SlamBall.”
The format of Slamball sounds perfect for this day and age – particular the social media age. 20 minute games in a half hour TV spot? Sounds perfect for the “instant gratification” linked to today’s social media consumption, and perfect for sharing across various media channels, too.
We predict that when Slamball 2.0 comes out next year, the world – extreme sports and all – will go absolutely wild with it’s coveted return. With the “viral-ness” of social media, how could it not succeed? You know we’re right, and we did not need a time machine to find that out.
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