pushball (13. 447)

Via MetaFilter, we are introduced to the sporting craze emerging in the 1890s with a father of three Harvard football players, having attended many matches over the years, observing that “if the all were only made large—yes, large enough so that a player on one side could not see who was on the other, you would then have a chance to interest spectators in watching the whole game and in so introducing merriment, as well as skill.” After the rules were codified and kit and equipment made according to specific measures, amateur and collegiate leagues were formed in New England and England and tournaments were held on existing pitches. Though not enduring through world wars, the game has seen a continuity in Europe on horseback as hoofball with the occasional non-equestrian interest.