JAYFORCE

The headline should read: Team USA Gets OWNED At Kabaddi World Cup 2016… But we’ll be back world… We’ll be BACK!

Wow, Kabaddi looks VERY interesting! American sports fans, this could be it! Okay, let’s back up a touch. What you see above is, as the commentator conveys starting around the 9-minute mark, the genesis tenet of a true world sport: “It’s a simple game to understand. Very tough to play.” But watch now, understand a bit of the way in, and understand that this Kabaddi thing is already enjoyed by MILLIONS, already being covered on ESPN3, already being played by teams from nations worldwide, already presenting a World Champion chosen via tournament games… Again, wow! Imagine a sport that has something in it for lovers of football, basketball, soccer…tag…f’n Red Rover… AND ‘Rasslin (yeah, the Greco-Roman stuff but with pro wrestling’s pop appeal)! This Deadspin (respect!) article put it perfectly:

Kabaddi is kind of like schoolyard tackle football, without the football. Or like red rover played by overzealous wrestlers. The PKL version of the game is played indoors on a large, rectangular mat and the teams are broken up into two sides, blockers and raiders. A raider must foray into the opposing half, tag a competitor, and then make it back to their own half without being tackled. The raider must do so with only one breath, repeating the word “kabaddi” so the referee knows they haven’t inhaled. Points can be gathered in a number of ways, but basically it’s just a bunch of big dudes tackling and evading with combinations of brute strength and agility. It’s fast-paced, visceral, intuitive, and a very big deal in India.
– Jemayel Khawaja

Uh oh. Will Americans actually watch en masse a game not invented in the homeland? Truthfully, such remains to be seen. But if any sport has a legit chance, it is Kabaddi. Bet on it.

(And if and when Vegas starts laying odds on it. It will truly be IN… you can bet on it!)

MORE: TEAM USA AT THE KABADDI WORLD CUP (DEADSPIN)

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