SlamBall is all set to make a return after 20 years since it got disbanded back in 2003, find out what exactly is the sport, player positions, scoring system and rules
The sport was initially televised back in 2002 and 2003 when it was first introduced, bust soon got disbanded.
What is SlamBall, rules, scoring and format meaning explained with sport set to return in 2023
SlamBall is set to return in 2023. ๐https://t.co/G5LSPU62DZ pic.twitter.com/N5kXjWxjOh
— theScore (@theScore) August 3, 2022
TRENDING: SlamBall is making a return in the summer of 2023.
LFG. ๐ฅ pic.twitter.com/H6v84wtMxX
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 3, 2022
Mason Gordon, the inventor of SlamBall initially came up with the idea of the sport back in 1999.
SlamBall set to make a return in 2023
Mason Gordon shared that he and his teams are looking to bring back SlamBall in the summer of 2023. Gordon recently shared:
We’ve gotten opportunities. Pretty much every couple of months, there will be an opportunity to bring SlamBall back in some form. And my partners and I have always looked at it and said, ‘We’re not gonna come back until the market conditions are, like, really optimal,’ and the alternate sports marketplace is just on fire. And there’s a reason for that.โ
He added that:
Younger audiences are really out there looking for, like, what sport can I call my own? Because a lot of them aren’t watching two-and-a-half-hour, three-hour long broadcasts anymore.โ
As of now, nor further details have been released regarding the return of SlamBall. The brand is currently out looking for athletes โthat really dominate with their physicality.โ
SlamBall
SlamBall is a contact sport with sharing similarities with basketball, but with a few important twists. Instead of a normal court, the SlamBall court consists of four big trampolines and a net on each end.
Players are allowed to partake in blocks and collisions on certain parts of the floor. Due to the high level of contact, there are boards placed around the court, just like a hockey rink. There are four players in a tea and enjoy unlimited substitutions similar to hockey. Each game lasts for 20 minutes, separated by four five-minute quarters.
Player positions and scoring system
SlamBall consists of three basic positions โ handler, gunner, and stopper. The handler acts as a point guard, the gunner, acts as the primary scorer, and the stopper is a defender.
Given below is how the scoring system for SlamBall works:
- Two points if the ball is thrown through a hoop without an offensive player touching the hoop.
- Three points for slam dunks
- Three points for shots from beyond the three-point arc
โSlamBall just kind of fits the billโ
The National Network, later called as Spike TV, first broadcasted SlamBall on their network. The sport aired for two seasons on the broadcast channel before the league disbanded following the 2003 season. According to reports, Gordon and the network partner had a disagreement and could not could to terms. The sport returned briefly in 2008, but lasted only one season.
However, Gordon believes that now is the right time to bring back SlamBall mainly because it offers shorter, 20-minute games. Something much shorter than Americans sports consumers are used to.
Gordon shared:
SlamBall just kind of fits the bill. They’re 20-minute games, television half hours. People always really gravitated to the action, and it’s this incredible mash-up between basketball, football, hockey, little bit of gymnastics, little bit of video games. That’s just SlamBall, you get a whole lot in one neat, tidy little package.โ
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