I remember a great joke from Jerry Seinfeld that played on random combinations of sports these days, like the Biathlon at the Winter Olympics where cross country skiing is combined with firing a rifle. He reasoned it made as much sense as swimming a length and strangling a person.
Little did he know he was actually quite close to a new reality: Chess Boxing. No, this is not a joke. Chess and Boxing combined. There is even a World Chess Boxing Organization that has World and European Championships. And a video on YouTube that is worth a look.
The…um….sport is played over 11 rounds. Starting with Chess, then alternating with Boxing until there is either a knock out in Boxing or a check mate in Chess.
Maybe in years to come Chess Boxing will be as ‘normal’ to us as Triathlons are now?
I think the gap between sport and entertainment is ever closing. This has been especially evident to me recently hearing about this sport, and watching David Beckham play in an exhibition match last week where one of the biggest cheers of the night was when he took his shirt off at the end of the game.
I cynically wonder if they would have packed out the stadium if Kaka was playing (the current European Player of the Year)? I doubt it, but people did fill the stadium (including me I must admit) to see the Beckham show, not the sport of Soccer.
And we were not disappointed.
