Football, baseball, basketball, and hockey have been this country’s four horsemen for professional sports for decades. However, other sports have had their moment before becoming a distant memory. A look into these once-popular American sports that have since fizzled out may bring back fond memories of something you once loved.
Roller Derby
Roller Derby, a contact sport on wheels, had a profound cultural impact on American sports. Born during the Great Depression, it was an emblem of the American spirit of resilience and endurance. It gained immense popularity in the 1970s, symbolizing the era’s counterculture movement.
The sport was unique. It demonstrated gender equality by having men and women participating in mixed teams. This broke traditional gender norms, paving the way for future sports to do the same.
However, the sport lost its luster over time due to rival leagues, injuries, and a few scandals that spoiled its reputation. While there have been a few comeback attempts, none have been able to restore Roller Derby to its former glory.
Ultimate Frisbee
If you looked around college campuses nationwide in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, one would have thought Ultimate Frisbee would take over the world.
A trend in certain fad sports is that they’re hybrids of more popular sports meshed into one. That’s evident today as the fastest-growing sport across the country is pickleball, which combines elements of tennis and badminton, with a few slight differences. Ultimate Frisbee was a sport born from sports like football or rugby with a frisbee thrown in, but it didn’t seem to stick. Time will tell if pickleball shares the same fate.
Arena Football
Like the word “fetch,” spring football will never happen. The closest we got to another football league finding its lane was Arena Football.
The concept of indoor football was fun to watch, but the league couldn’t sustain its audience from one season to the next. The short field and high-scoring games never translated to long-term excitement despite the fireworks, and the league eventually called it a day in 2019.
SlamBall
Any kid’s dream is to dunk a basketball. It’s why adjustable basketball hoops remain the craze. If you can slam it home, even if it’s on an eight-foot rim, you have to do it. Another thing kids love to do is jump on a trampoline. Flipping and flopping while catapulting in the air will get any kiddo’s adrenaline pumping and parent’s anxiety rising.
Before the new millennium, Mason Gordon combined these two timeless childhood classics and created SlamBall.
Introduced in 2002, SlamBall enjoyed an initial surge of popularity, attracting audiences with its high-flying dunks and fast-paced action. Unfortunately, reality set in for SlamBall, and it wasn’t as simple and cost-effective to host as traditional basketball. As a result, the sport quickly became unpopular, leaving only a few enthusiasts who passionately follow it.
These once-popular American sports that have fizzled out still have a few diehard fans today. After all, SlamBall even came back recently. But unless it’s one of the traditional sports with constant television rights, the sport will most likely fade into oblivion.
