Latest / Strange Games: The Weirdest Real Sports Ever Played / Ep 36 — Drone Soccer, Jugger, and Teqball: The Future Got Weird
Transcript
- HOST: Imagine scoring the winning goal with a flying robot trapped inside a glowing plastic cage. [SFX: surprised buzz] HOST: That’s drone soccer, a real sport that started in South Korea and is now popping up in schools, arenas, and aviation clubs around the world. HOST: Two teams pilot quadcopters inside protective spherical frames. Only one drone, called the striker, can score by flying through a vertical hoop. HOST: Everyone else? They’re blockers, basically robot linebackers with propellers. HOST: Matches are fast, loud, and weirdly graceful, until somebody crashes into the net like a confused ceiling fan. [SFX: silly crash] [AD_BREAK:1] HOST: Next up, jugger, the sport that looks like a post-apocalyptic movie accidentally organized a tournament. HOST: It was inspired by the 1989 cult film The Blood of Heroes, then became a real game in Germany and Australia. HOST: Teams use padded weapons called pompfen to clear a path for one unarmed runner, the qwik. HOST: The qwik’s job is to grab a foam dog skull, called the jugg, and place it on the other team’s stake. HOST: Yes. A foam dog skull. Finally, a sport where “protect the skull” is normal strategy. [SFX: obnoxious horn] [AD_BREAK:2] HOST: And now, teqball, the sleekest weird sport on the planet. HOST: Created in Hungary in 2012, it’s played on a curved table with a soccer ball. HOST: Players use their feet, head, chest, and thighs, but not their hands, and the curve makes every bounce unpredictable. HOST: It’s part ping-pong, part soccer freestyle, part geometry exam with sweat. HOST: Stars like Ronaldinho helped make it famous, and international championships now feature singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. HOST: Drone soccer brings the machines. Jugger brings the foam apocalypse. Teqball brings the bendy table. HOST: The future of sports isn’t just coming. It’s already doing bicycle kicks off furniture.