11 Best Fictional Sports

With the SuperBowl this weekend (Go Sports!), we decided that it would be a good time to take a look at some of our favorite sports in various fictions. While these are in order of my favorite (most to least), these are all relatively good choices, and things that would be much more fun to watch than football.

Quidditch – Harry Potter

Of course it’s Quidditch! A sport so fun, people have started to play it in the real world. In this game, there are two teams of seven people on broomsticks flying high into the air. Their objective? Well, there are a couple. There’s only one real defensive positions in the game, but there are three different offensive positions.

The primary, is the Chaser, who tries to get the primary ball, the Quaffle, to go through one of three tall hoops to get 10 points. This part of the game is very similar to basketball. This is opposed by the Keeper, similar to a soccer goalie. Then, there are the Beaters, who, with their little bats, are hitting another ball called the Bludger into the other team, essentially just trying to knock them off their flying brooms. This part of the game is most like dodgeball, but again with small bats to hit the balls with. Lastly, there is the Seeker, who is after a very small, very fast self-flying ball called the Snitch, that is worth 15 times (150) as many points as the Quaffle through the hoops, and catching it ends the game.

If you’re wondering why anyone would even go after the Quaffle if the Snitch is worth so much, in Goblet of Fire, we actually see an instance where one team are better at the game, and are able to get more than the 150 point lead that is necessary to win, even though the other team catches the Snitch. Or perhaps you are wondering what happens when someone DOESN’T catch the Snitch, since that’s what ends the game. Well, apparently the longest game (according to in-world book Quidditch Through the Ages) lasted six months, before the two team captains decided to call the game.

Podracing – The Phantom Menace

The NASCAR of the Star Wars universe. Regardless of your opinions of the Prequel Trilogy as a whole, you have to admit that Podracing is one of the most exciting things to come out of any story in a galaxy far, far away. It shouldn’t need much of an explanation, except knowing that it is far faster than real life racing, on much longer and more dangerous tracks, the vehicles hover above the ground, and it’s totally legal for natives to the area to protest by shooting at the drivers while they are driving.

Pro Bending – Legend of Korra

Bending, if you aren’t familiar with the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe, is the ability to control a specific element (Earth, Water, Fire, Air) with your mind. In the sequel/spin-off series Legend of Korra, we see what is the equivalent of Team MMA fighting, except it is with Bending. Each team has one Water, one Earth, and one Fire bender, and though four of the six sides of the ring have wrestling-style ropes, the two on the very ends are open, as your goal is to knock the other team out of the ring entirely.

Tron – Tron

Tron is so cool! This game is almost like a competitive game of Snake, wherein as you drive a motorcycle like vehicle, a wall of solid light forms behind you. Your goal is to trap the other competitors to run into your (or their own) light wall, while avoiding any light walls yourself. The game is high speed and exciting.

Rocket League – Rocket League

Car soccer! That’s it. The whole game is soccer, but you are a car with refillable nitros that is supplied across the field, and you can drive up walls with your cool car. It’s uncertain whether the field and ball are gigantic, or if the cars are more akin to RC remote control cars. Either way, the game is fast, sometimes deadly, and very addictive.

Robot Boxing – Reel Steal

This is literally just boxing, but with humanoid robots instead of actual people. There’s nothing necessarily creative to it, but that doesn’t make watching it not absolutely cool.

The Hunger Games – The Hunger Games

If you aren’t familiar, this is a death sport. 24 people are placed inside of a giant arena, with some helpful items and weapons in the middle of them all, and the goal is to kill the rest of the players, and be the last one standing. Now, normally I would rate a massive death match higher, because seeing people pushed to their limits of strength and creativity is very engaging (to be clear, only in fiction). However, because this is only for children to participate in (ages 13-17), and it’s used as a scare tactic from an evil government trying to keep the impoverished from rising in protest, it drops down for me. I will say though, in the second book, when all of the fighters are those who have won previous games, is so much more interesting, as they are already the best.

Calvinball – Calvin and Hobbes

We love Calvin and Hobbes at The Nerdd, and a game that celebrates creativity and a childlike way of looking at the world is okay by us. Sure, the rules always change, except that you have to wear a mask, but that doesn’t mean it’s not celebrating childhood.

Whackbat – Fantastic Mr. Fox

I think this is a spinoff of Cricket, but I’m not sure. I wish I could say more about the sport, but what I can say is that you should go see Fantastic Mr. Fox if you haven’t yet. That’s right, this is just a plug for an animated Wes Anderson film.

Baseketball – BASEketball

Did you get caught playing basketball wrong/badly? Want a sport that involves strategically insulting the other team? Want to become famous for little-to-no reason? Than Baseketball is the game for you. It’s just a weird mix between basketball and baseball, brought to you by the creators of South Park, The Book of Mormon, and Orgazmo.

Vampire Baseball – Twilight

This is just baseball, but played by super strong people. This part of the movie, while just as cheesy as the rest, does seem pretty cool to watch. It also makes me realize I want to see more sports played by superhero-type characters.

There are so many more sports that we didn’t mention, that are also valid and that I would probably enjoy watching more than the SuperBowl.

What’s your favorite fictional sport? Let us know in the comments below!