Spikeball Belongs in the Backyard

Why Spikeball Should be Considered Not a Sport

Photo by Ethan Woodring / Maclay Andalusian

When asked to name an athlete, most would name icons such as Tom Brady, Simone Biles, Michael Schumacher, Lebron James, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. When asked to name a sport, people would say soccer, basketball, track, swimming, american football and many more. Most people do not think to name spikeball or someone who plays spikeball. 

The definition of a professional sport is defined as a sector where clubs combine labor, capital and facilities to produce a marketable product—games or contests—within structured leagues that govern the number of teams and games played. Spikeball, however, is not in the Olympics, is more centered around luck than actual skill, lacks physical demands and not popular enough to make income on ESPN2. 

“Spikeball should not be considered a sport because in real sports, athletes put forth so much effort on perfecting their bodies by spending hours in the gym and doing fitness,” said an anonymous student. "It's a disgrace and a shame to put the label of a competitive sport for a useless backyard game.”

Some people determine sports on whether or not they are in the Olympics, this can be right or wrong due to where the sport is relevant. Currently, spikeball is not scheduled to be added to the Olympics and it is more recognized as a casual backyard game for kids and families. 

 “All sports are games but not all games are sports,” said an anonymous student. “I wouldn't consider someone who plays spikeball an athlete.” 

Spikeball can be played by beginners and a lucky bounce can determine a win or a loss. To put it simply, spikeball is not challenging or demanding enough to be considered a sport. Physical demands are not the only thing that determines a sport, skill and sport IQ are huge in determining the difficulty leavel. Curling, for example, does not involve very much physical excursion, but the skill and precision is extremely difficult to achieve, and is therefore recognized as a sport. Generally, most people can learn how to play spikeball efficiently in a short period of time and that's the reason it is advertised as an easy game for families.

When a collected poll came back on Spikeball, out of 147 Maclay students, 78.9% said spikeball is not a sport and 81% said they would never watch spikeball on TV. Without views, there is no income and reason to consider spikeball a sport.

Many people say because spikeball has started to gain recognition with younger generations, it may continue to grow and will be considered a sport. This is simply not true. After a game or attraction loses the “it” factor, players tend to move to the new trending viral game. After periods of increased indoor time, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, parents may see this game as a way to get their kids off their phones and outside. The time that spikeball was viral is passing and it is expected for this game to reduce in sales and become less common in households.

When it comes down to the comparison of backyard games or sports, spikeball simply is not difficult or in demand enough to be an official sport. Spikeball is not in the Olympics, takes little skill and physical demand and gets less views on ESPN2. If spikeball is considered a sport, athletes and more difficult sports will be disappointed. With how hard athletes work to perfect their skills and physical shape, it is perplexing to call a relaxed backyard game a competitive sport.