Random Extreme Historical Sports That Sound Made Up But Aren’t (13 items)

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  (#4) Roman Chariot Racing Was Every Bit As Intense As ‘Ben-Hur’ Portrayed

  Romans loved their extreme sports, and the sport that brought in the biggest crowds was chariot racing. When the Romans held a chariot race as the Circus Maximus, close to 200,000 fans watched.

  During a chariot race, teams would compete against each other for the victory. Usually, 12 chariots lined up to battle it out, divided into four factions. Fans rooted for the team by showing off their color: red, blue, white, or green. 

  Like an ancient NASCAR race, Roman chariot races frequently featured crashes. As teams whipped around the curved arena, chariots tipped and horses ran into each other. The Romans called these crashes "shipwrecks."

  Chariot racing was dangerous in part because drivers didn't have to follow rules. They were allowed to whip their rivals, toss them from their chariots, or trample fallen riders with their horses. 
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  (#12) Buzkashi Is A Central Asian Polo Variant In Which The ‘Ball’ Is A Goat Carcass

  In Afghanistan, centuries of players have taken the field for the game of buzkashi. At first glance, the sport seems like polo. But instead of fighting over a ball, players battle it out to grab a goat carcass. 

  Before a match, competitors prepared the goat in a very specific manner. The goat was decapitated and disemboweled. Players didn't group together in teams. Instead, it was every rider for himself. Whichever horseman managed to grab the carcass and carry it into a specially-defined end zone won. 

  “I found it so brutal - I mean, they are playing with the dead body of an animal,” said Spanish photographer Anna Huix when she witnessed a match. “Then again, I’m from Spain, where we have bullfighting. So many of our traditions seem to involve making animals suffer.”
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  (#9) In North America, 1,000 Players Took The Field At Once To Play Pasuckuakohowog 

  In the 17th century, the Algonquins enjoyed playing a game called pasuckuakohowog, or "they gather to play ball with the foot." The soccer-like game was played on a massive field, with goals sometimes a mile apart from each other. As many as 1,000 players would flood the field to kick a ball through the goal.

  There were no rules about headers, kicks, or fouls, so players often violently clashed during matches. After some matches, players walked away with broken bones. However, when it was all over, both sides typically celebrated with a feast. 
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  (#3) Pankration Was An Ancient Greek Proto-MMA Sport Where Groin Kicks Were Totally Legit

  The Greeks mixed boxing and wrestling in the ancient sport called pankration. Athletes competed in the sport during the ancient Olympic games, showing off their strength and stamina.

  Although participants weren't armed, the sport was dangerous. With almost no restrictions on fighting, pankration matches quickly became more like war than a sport. Combatants could kick each other in the genitals or even bite off a rival's nose as long as they struck outside the ring.

  Take Arrhichion of Phigalia, a popular athlete who won an Olympic medal but perished during his match. While his opponent tried to strangle him, Arrhichion broke the man's ankle. For another example, look to the athlete called "Fingertips," who got his nickname because he started each match by breaking his opponent's fingers. 

  Never one to walk away from a brutal sport, the Romans adopted pankration and made it even more dangerous by outfitting the fighters with spiked gloves. 
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  (#13) Ancient Egyptians Battled It Out During Fisherman Jousting - And Tossed Rivals Into The Nile River

  For ancient Egyptians, the Nile River was a water source, a means of transportation, and a bringer of fertile silt. The Nile was also where Egyptians played the dangerous game called "fisherman jousting."

  Here's how they played: Fishermen piled into boats and sailed out on the Nile. Two boats approached each other, and the fishermen swiped at each other with the poles they used to push their boats.

  Fisherman jousting dates back to the time of the pyramids. Rather than regularly staged competitions, it seems like the Egyptians fought on the spur of the moment. Some fights might have been to keep others out of fishing territories claimed by fishermen.

  How did you win fisherman jousting? Easy - just knock your rival into the river. That sometimes proved dangerous, however, since some Egyptian fishermen couldn't swim.
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  (#10) Tewaarathon Was An Epic Proto-Lacrosse Match With Hundreds Of Players On A Field A Mile Long

  The Iroquois Nation played a proto-lacrosse game called tewaarathon for centuries. The name, which means "little brother of war," was a way for warriors to practice their skills in between battles. The Iroquois also played tewaarathon to solve disputes. 

  Players lined up on a massive field. In some matches, as many as 1,000 players joined the game. The shortest fields were as long as four football fields, and the longest field might stretch across several miles.

  Competitors used sticks with nets on the end to catch a deerskin ball, and the athletic game drove warriors to their physical limits.

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