Sports making a racket, 48 up for the Cup and the allure of live
Hop to it! Harking back to an innocent 70s youth of balmy summers and winter power cuts, when even Space Invaders had yet to land, a friend gets in touch to sense-check his vision for an organised sport of space-hopper racing. Sad sack that I am, my thoughts instantly turn to governance and the possibility of creating an international federation with attendant opportunities for fat-cattery.
A quick online search only throws up charity space-hopper races in aid of injured jockeys (equine ones, not hopping ones) and companies selling hopper-racing games for the back garden or stag and hen parties. My mate’s dream of cornering the market for 400m races in packed stadia seems intact. Why not extend it to off-road trail events with hills, mud and water jumps? Or even road races culminating at iconic tourist sites – Buckingham Palace, the Brandenburg Gate or Central Park perhaps?
If the concept catches on, expect squabbles about control to follow swiftly behind – of the rules and regulations, membership, event licensing, anti-doping protocols and the like. All cloaked in an ambition for the sport to be admitted to the Olympics within the next couple of decades. For such is the fate of all new sports, from ultimate frisbee to esports.
“Celebrity endorsements and investment have been front and centre, from Andy Murray in padel to Hollywood A-listers in pickleball”
Padel and pickleball are two racquet sports about as old as space hoppers (all three invented in the late 60s), but which have exploded into the sporting consciousness over the past couple of years on a wave of PR. Celebrity endorsements and investment have been front and centre, from Andy Murray in padel to Hollywood A-listers in pickleball.
