The History of Jai Alai, America's Forgotten Sport

2018 ж. 24 Сәу.
1 705 133 Рет қаралды

For much of the 20th century, jai alai dominated the Miami sports scene, attracting crowds as large as 15,000. Today, the sport is barely hanging on in America. So what happened? Well, it’s a wild story, one involving gangs, organized crime and murder. We caught up with decorated jai alai athletes Benny Bueno and Leon Shepard to get the scoop on the meteoric rise and subsequent fall of America’s forgotten sport.
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Пікірлер
  • Lol to be totally honest i thought jai alai was the name of the guy on the thumbnail

    @eaGREDDY20@eaGREDDY206 жыл бұрын
    • eaGREDDY20 i thought it was the dude who played Urkel on the Indian version of Family Matters

      @bltvd@bltvd6 жыл бұрын
    • eaGREDDY20 honestly same

      @africanliving294@africanliving2946 жыл бұрын
    • eaGREDDY20 me to

      @aal834@aal8346 жыл бұрын
    • Same😂😂😂

      @henerith4510@henerith45106 жыл бұрын
    • Same, I thought this was some like freak athlete I never heard about

      @eruptedair7039@eruptedair70396 жыл бұрын
  • As a teenager in south Florida my friends and I would go to these empty jai alai games because they needed business so bad they’d sell beer to anyone with cash. Needless to say I was always there

    @rcman098@rcman0986 жыл бұрын
    • Lol i Will tell your mom 😇👹

      @myhjegkbuhrsstopkuhuhoyrru4075@myhjegkbuhrsstopkuhuhoyrru40756 жыл бұрын
    • collin ridle yup

      @davenwatts8173@davenwatts81736 жыл бұрын
    • Clever!

      @starrychloe@starrychloe5 жыл бұрын
    • david lane I want to say it was something like $1 for 16oz

      @rcman098@rcman0985 жыл бұрын
    • Good times for a kid 😂

      @cgasucks@cgasucks5 жыл бұрын
  • You could have at least added some basic rules so we can know more about it.

    @kihlos2768@kihlos27686 жыл бұрын
    • Agreed.

      @eaglebreath5@eaglebreath56 жыл бұрын
    • Yeah, that'd have been nice. The game is similar to racquetball: in short, one player throws the ball at the far wall, and the other player has one bounce of the ball to catch it.

      @dmleach@dmleach6 жыл бұрын
    • Cool. Thanks mate. I like racquetball.

      @eaglebreath5@eaglebreath56 жыл бұрын
    • kihlos Thats what i was waiting for the entire time!

      @jakethomason5495@jakethomason54956 жыл бұрын
    • Think racquetball but with a small chance of serious injury if you get hit by a hard rubber ball traveling at 150+ mph

      @tmage23@tmage236 жыл бұрын
  • Told the story of the scandals. But said absolutely nothing about the sport itself.

    @UltraMonkeySapien@UltraMonkeySapien6 жыл бұрын
    • because the scandals WAS jai alai

      @ChairmanMeow1@ChairmanMeow15 жыл бұрын
    • They do that a lot.

      @TheUntrainedNinja@TheUntrainedNinja5 жыл бұрын
    • There was an unfortunate game fixing scandal back in I believe 1980 at the Milford Fronton, just the beginning of the end. The Players strike was the frosting on the cake, then came the frickin Casinos.

      @chop3625@chop36254 жыл бұрын
    • For starters, that it's a Spanish sport (from the Basque region)

      @nixie2462@nixie24623 жыл бұрын
    • Sad, once gambling is involved, then the underworld of greed and corruption will slither in .

      @alanguages@alanguages3 жыл бұрын
  • The game is originated in the Basque region of Spain and France. I am from there (Bilbao) and I can tell it’s still relevant in the Basque culture, but it’s not a mainstream sport. Fun fact: the word “Jai Alai” means “Party Happy” in the Basque language.

    @goitegi@goitegi5 жыл бұрын
    • It’s called pelota tho

      @all-caps3927@all-caps3927 Жыл бұрын
    • I remember Jai alai is in Philippines also.

      @marsalah70@marsalah70 Жыл бұрын
    • ​@@all-caps3927 No, it's called cesta punta.

      @chouder007agenteespacial7@chouder007agenteespacial711 ай бұрын
    • In the 90's there was Jai Alai in Tijuaña too. Not sure anymore.

      @badlaamaurukehu@badlaamaurukehu3 ай бұрын
  • As a boy in Philippines, Jai Alai was incredibly popular. With regular media coverage. Unfortunately, its popularity was partly driven by the gambling that surrounded it. (A lot had never seen a match played, following only the results for wagers.) Organised crime and corruption turned it from a sport to a hustle. The government banned it with enthusiasts hoping that the sporting and cultural aspect will revive it. It's back but a generation of Filipinos know nothing of it anymore. One neighborhood pelota I saw had basketball rings bolted to the walls...

    @ememe1412@ememe1412 Жыл бұрын
  • Jai-alai is also popular here in the Philippines, i can still remember my mom was so addicted placing bets hehe

    @marquezkenken6869@marquezkenken68696 жыл бұрын
    • Cabib Tanggomay do they still air jai alai on t.v. here? A coupladays ago, I was thinking about how long it's been since I've seen jai alai on t.v haha

      @furaigames6837@furaigames68376 жыл бұрын
    • arsonic arsenic they still do... but only on some cable providers in the provinces

      @Minickzky98@Minickzky986 жыл бұрын
    • It's also familiar to Filipinos studying business tax since we have a law covering winning bets on jai-alai.

      @alekseybenitez7453@alekseybenitez74536 жыл бұрын
    • Yes, jai alai was very popular in the Philippines especially during the 1930s-1960s. My great grandfather sat on the board of the Jai Alai Corporation of the Philippines when they built the old Jai Alai Building in Manila.

      @AviationAddict69@AviationAddict695 жыл бұрын
    • @akidin06 there's a jai alai court near harison plaza in manila if i remember correctly. Idk if it's still there, I think it was torn down years ago.

      @peanutbutter625@peanutbutter6255 жыл бұрын
  • Jai Alai was also famous here in the Philippines in the 20th century and the Jai Alai building in Manila was even one of the go to social places of the 1930s Social elites and was an architectural gem too.

    @timdella92@timdella926 жыл бұрын
  • Whoah that looks like a lot of fun. Didn’t even know this was a game to begin with.

    @migueloros891@migueloros8916 жыл бұрын
    • Miguel Oros I knew this was a sport and it looked really exciting to me as a small kid. Even to this day, I still wanna play this sport. Sadly, it's pretty much non-existent here in Asia.

      @emilleanthonette@emilleanthonette6 жыл бұрын
    • akine where are you in Asia? Theres a active Jai Alai scene in the Philippines

      @leetorry@leetorry5 жыл бұрын
    • It shouldn't exist. It's the most dangerous team/ball game. There's no protection for the face. Frequent injuries to the arms and shoulders from muscle tears. Professionals would be paid poorly or not at all when injured. The crime backing aspect of it was very high and didn't help the safety of mainstream appeal. Best it disappears

      @ninjamaster3453@ninjamaster34533 жыл бұрын
    • @@emilleanthonette you can sorta play it in lethal league

      @JudgementSkull@JudgementSkull3 жыл бұрын
    • @@ninjamaster3453 isn’t that kinda like soccer?

      @imnotlain5915@imnotlain59152 жыл бұрын
  • Coming from a family of jai-alai players, I’m grateful for this sport. My father still works at Dania Jai-alai. Thank you for the great video

    @egonzalez33@egonzalez336 жыл бұрын
    • Hey egonzalez33 i'm reaching out to you regarding your dad who works for Dania Jai alia. I'm doing a project that involves the casino in Miami Florida, and i'm super interested in finding out more of the Jaila experience from your perspective, and your families.Please don't hesitate to contact via email: cidezen80@gmail.com

      @Risky_Slays@Risky_Slays4 жыл бұрын
    • kzhead.info/sun/YKePZLVsgmeif3A/bejne.html

      @michaelperry6376@michaelperry63763 жыл бұрын
    • facebook.com/groups/1524240231206485/

      @michaelperry6376@michaelperry63762 жыл бұрын
    • Same here. My grandfather and father played and the sport is dear to my heart. I still have sestas hanging in my house

      @cristinamartinez3431@cristinamartinez3431 Жыл бұрын
    • I just barely heard of this sport. It looks interesting.

      @TangoIndiaMikeJuliet@TangoIndiaMikeJuliet2 ай бұрын
  • I've been going to Dania for 20 years, and I used to play amateur Jai Alai back then as well. It's still near and dear to me, I hope it becomes more popular and takes back it's rightful place in South Florida.

    @jasondavid4662@jasondavid46625 жыл бұрын
    • If you are not aware of it, Dania jai-alai is getting a short reprieve. They will be playing in December and January, Wed thru Sun. Dark on Mon and Tue. I hope to get down there.

      @stillhunt76@stillhunt76 Жыл бұрын
  • Jai alai really is something special. I discovered it around 2005 while vacationing in south Florida. Anytime I'm in the area I try to make it to a game. It's easy to learn the rules (it's similar to racquetball), and placing a bet on the game gives you a player to root for. Definitely check it out if you can!

    @dmleach@dmleach6 жыл бұрын
  • Years ago, I went to Tijuana to check out (and bet on) some Jai Alai matches - and they were absolutely FIXED. These guys were missing routine balls, falling down, etc. They would look up at the betting totals and the whole thing was such a sham - like soccer players faking injury, or NBA stars faking fouls. Every single one of the players were overweight and one was even smoking a cigarette while he "competed".

    @scottinsd1@scottinsd16 жыл бұрын
    • 🤣🤣🙄

      @AnastasiaBeaverhousn@AnastasiaBeaverhousn2 жыл бұрын
  • I used to go to Jai Ali in Rhode Island which was basically the minor leagues for Miami. Lots of fun to watch and bet on. Anyone who thinks that the players' strike isn't what killed it though is fooling themselves. Give people 3 YEARS to find something better to do on a Friday/Saturday night and they will. Plain and simple.

    @jamesdcarroll1@jamesdcarroll16 жыл бұрын
    • Casinos helped to kill it too. It’s a shame, great game with highly skilled players in Ct.

      @chop3625@chop36254 жыл бұрын
    • kzhead.info/sun/hrOneK9xnqponZE/bejne.html

      @michaelperry6376@michaelperry63763 жыл бұрын
  • I remember going when I lived in Ft Lauderdale. Yelling at the players who you bet against was the best part. Heckling was actually encouraged.

    @jgn1977@jgn19776 жыл бұрын
  • Jai Alai its actually called "zesta-punta" its a basque traditional sport. "Jai Alai" is a name of a Stadium (or Fronton how should be called). to be precise its the first fronton of America was named "Jai Alai" (joyful festivity in basque). in the frontones you actually can play 3 modalities: "basque pelota" (the same but with your hands only) , "pala" (the same but with a small wooden racket) and zesta punta.

    @selaud3229@selaud32296 жыл бұрын
    • And remonte

      @ignaciobarandiaranuriarte1982@ignaciobarandiaranuriarte19824 жыл бұрын
    • And FRONTENIS, but with a tennis racket and a ball filled with gas.

      @yahirnunez9484@yahirnunez94843 жыл бұрын
    • Zesty punta is crazy

      @MasterOGTY@MasterOGTY5 ай бұрын
  • Glad to have found this video and will share with friends.. very fond memories as a teenager playing with my buddies and eventually attending the Mecca of Jai alai in Miami to watch our fav players.. I recall when Benny arrived, he was an excellent player too as the other greats (Elorduy, Joey, Juan, Arra, Soroa, Asis, Oregui...) wonderful memories. Much respect and admiration for all those great athletes and bid them well.

    @eddyballester8990@eddyballester89905 жыл бұрын
  • I think I generally like these spots, and I understand the direction they go through … but I really wish sometimes to learn at least a tiny bit about the subject they're covering. Yeah, so I get a glimpse of all this stuff, and yeah, my appetite is whetted for digging in to learn more. Right now, though, I'm just saying: "Couldn't you have told me anything about how Jai-alai is played"? Seriously. Is it handball/raquetball/squash with a much longer court and an awesome hand-scoop-throw-thing? I don't know, because the bit is so focused on the cultural elements that it doesn't even tell me what we're talking about.

    @mrnicomedes@mrnicomedes6 жыл бұрын
    • Vijay Kaul - I totally agree with you... Jai-Alai is sort of complex but you can explain the basic rules pretty quickly. It is like racquetball, you serve from the 11 line, the ball _must_ bounce between the 4 and 7 lines and your opponent catches and throws the ball back at the front wall... you’re only allowed _one_ bounce tho else you lose the point. The referees also are there to make sure your catch and throw are in one smooth motion, else you lose a point. There’s a bit more, but those are the very basics... kzhead.info/sun/hrOneK9xnqponZE/bejne.html is a great short video covering this in much greater detail... *Jai-Alai* is *_very_* fun to watch tho I’d never attempt to play... that ball is harder than a golf ball but bigger going up to 170mph (which is why the front wall is made of granite !!) so players can get seriously hurt. Hope this helps :)

      @grendelum@grendelum6 жыл бұрын
    • Thanks!

      @mrnicomedes@mrnicomedes6 жыл бұрын
    • It's fake news. Just dislike it.

      @starrychloe@starrychloe5 жыл бұрын
    • I kept waiting for them to explain the game too!

      @mrtkiernan@mrtkiernan5 жыл бұрын
    • It dose say rise and fall of the sport not where going to tell you about it

      @nopeno2350@nopeno23505 жыл бұрын
  • If you are old enough you would see this sport featured on a lot old 70s and 80s TV detective or cops shows along with Roller Derby as part of the plot.

    @MarvelDcImage@MarvelDcImage5 жыл бұрын
  • They didn't even explain the rules.

    @jason4275@jason42756 жыл бұрын
    • Good thing they didn't say it's a tutorial, on the title :)

      @JcRomer0@JcRomer06 жыл бұрын
    • Think racquetball, but faster.

      @CheeseTaterson@CheeseTaterson6 жыл бұрын
    • kzhead.info/sun/hrOneK9xnqponZE/bejne.html&t=

      @NinhLyUK@NinhLyUK6 жыл бұрын
    • I think the main rule is trying to kill a player with a ball

      @jiveAt5@jiveAt55 жыл бұрын
    • First to bounce the ball off the wall and hit the other players nuts wins

      @TheAnonapersons@TheAnonapersons5 жыл бұрын
  • I remember this being mentioned in Mad Men.

    @BlancheDuBoisIntrovert@BlancheDuBoisIntrovert6 жыл бұрын
    • Season 3 ep4. I have it paused right now while i'm here.

      @z2001lhcjer@z2001lhcjer4 жыл бұрын
    • @@z2001lhcjer same!

      @KenN-gr6dr@KenN-gr6dr4 жыл бұрын
    • yoop!

      @julyrunner2635@julyrunner26354 жыл бұрын
    • z2001lhcjer ditto bruh.

      @sforbesgocka@sforbesgocka4 жыл бұрын
    • That’s how I found out about it then I just heard about it on f is for family on Netflix so just looked it up to see if it was a real sport

      @hankshepherd2.086@hankshepherd2.0863 жыл бұрын
  • After growing up in South Florida, I'll never forget all those Dania Jai Alai ads-just the vid title was enough to evoke nostalgia.

    @GoodOleCybertron@GoodOleCybertron6 жыл бұрын
  • The Jai-Alai comes from the Basque Country, just so you guys know!

    @josuargoitia4727@josuargoitia47275 жыл бұрын
    • That's right. Gora Euskadi!

      @Sebastian.Rd.Arellano@Sebastian.Rd.Arellano4 жыл бұрын
    • Huh? Wtf are you talking about ?

      @Theking49817@Theking498172 жыл бұрын
    • @@Theking49817 Zesta punta. You can search it up on google.

      @egunezasca2036@egunezasca20362 жыл бұрын
  • It's not only a sport, but an art form. If you ever get the chance to go to a match do so. Thank you for informing people of this Sports Art Form.

    @kimhansen9124@kimhansen9124 Жыл бұрын
  • My grandfather was a big pro at this sport, sadly he died back in 2016, but I still miss his plays in this sport, RIP

    @Suikogiru@Suikogiru2 жыл бұрын
    • Who was your grandfather?

      @petereirich6502@petereirich65026 ай бұрын
  • I grew up in Miami and I loved the game...Its fast and dangerous...and artfully done..if it's still played anyone should go see...its amazing....

    @tonibutts8828@tonibutts88282 жыл бұрын
  • I remember the Casino Jai Alai in Macao, when I was a little boy. Didn't even know it was a sport until I saw the episode of Archer, 20-something years later...

    @nolanolivier6791@nolanolivier67912 жыл бұрын
  • The 80's were magical. Mike Tyson, F1 with Ayrton Senna and Prost, MotoGP with Kenny Roberts and Fast Freddie. After that, it was over. Including Jai Alai

    @esromcupti@esromcupti6 жыл бұрын
    • Vertigo1964 RIP Ayrton Senna

      @hida5301@hida53015 жыл бұрын
    • 86 Mets, Joe Montana 49”ers….

      @362chop@362chop5 жыл бұрын
    • Michael Jordan

      @SAACAAS@SAACAAS3 жыл бұрын
  • I lived in Ft. Lauerdale and went to watch the game. Awesome sport. Fun to see in person.

    @j.t.6700@j.t.67006 жыл бұрын
  • Back in the 1980s I went to some matches in Spain. It was pretty intense and very enjoyable to watch. I saw one player that had a bruise on his leg that was a modern art masterpiece. He had been hit by a ball. He wasn't playing, just there with his team.

    @Scrat335@Scrat335 Жыл бұрын
  • I was born and raised in Florida in the 80’s I definitely remember ads for it on local news channels (Florida stations) and they talked about the results on the news.

    @tristanholland6445@tristanholland64452 жыл бұрын
  • Jai alai randomly popped into my head today. I recall seeing many jai alai venues when I visited Florida as a boy in the early 70's. I really wanted to go, but my parents said it wasn't for kids. Visiting Florida as an adult there wasn't a Jai alai venue anywhere in sight. Now I understand why. Too bad for the players. Thanks for the video though!

    @zinaustro@zinaustro7 ай бұрын
  • Yea i remember this sport from an old jackass video, where i think steve-o and knoxville get thrown at by the players, but they use oranges instead of the actual ball. (Sorry if i make any grammar mistakes)

    @anditnugee2362@anditnugee23626 жыл бұрын
    • Andit Nugee Dude, noone cares about grammar mistakes on youtube comments😅, just read through it once if you want. Adding a seperate apology underneatg your comment is not necessary.

      @edonthefirst7689@edonthefirst76896 жыл бұрын
    • Edon Thefirst Sorry.

      @aus-li@aus-li6 жыл бұрын
    • Andit Nugee I too only know about this sport because of that jackass episode. We are sophisticated.

      @andrewwilken9725@andrewwilken97256 жыл бұрын
    • andrew same here:P

      @larsmonsen88@larsmonsen886 жыл бұрын
    • @@edonthefirst7689 good thing. noone?

      @leonjyrag@leonjyrag3 жыл бұрын
  • This game always made me think of some sort of Tron game.

    @marvnuts@marvnuts4 жыл бұрын
  • We even had Jai Alai in Fresno, California back in the day. (like the 1960s and 1970s)

    @theweirick@theweirick5 жыл бұрын
  • The Miami Vice clip is my only reference to Jai-Alai. I'm only here today ( September 2020 ) because I saw a website to a casino in which this sport is played ( Calder Casino ). That led me to look up the game and how it is actually played.

    @finisher3x@finisher3x3 жыл бұрын
  • CORRECTIONS: it's not from france nor is it technically 'Spanish' either - the sport is from the autonomous BASQUE region of Spain. Also, it's called jai alai here but that term everywhere else refers to the venue (it literally means big party. here we call the arena a 'fronton'). The sport's real name is Zesta Punta (hot play!). It failed here because of the 3 year player's strike, THEN the Miami Heat basketball team arrived, then the Marlins baseball team. Miami went from just the shitty Dolphins to the three major US sports right when jai alai was trying to win fans back. It was always an older latin crowd used to betting at horse and dog tracks. That older immigrant group died off, and the younger latin people simply never went. Interestingly, it was also made legal in Connecticut of all places.

    @aap71@aap716 жыл бұрын
    • it was popular in connecticut in the 70's, drawing fans away from gambling on boring harness horse racing. but because it was low-budget and had gambling, it wasn't long before the 'sport' was exposed to be crooked and rigged by the mob. Most players barely made a living and were easily pursuaded to make key 'mistakes' in exchange for secret payoffs. you have to keep in mind, unlike most sports betting, in jai alai you gamble mid-game not just the final outcome. players can throw just one or 2 little things and not even lose but still manipulate gambling results. free of money and gambling, it's really fun! It's the fastest ball sport on earth and it's akin to a turbo charged version of handball.

      @aap71@aap716 жыл бұрын
    • I know I'm 9 months late but thanks for saying what it means(I'm from basque country) , I thinks there is a lot of people in Basque countrie, South of france and north of Spain that still plays it, they should do a meet a great!!! 😂 😂

      @andertenis@andertenis5 жыл бұрын
    • Basque does not exist so it's from Spain.

      @jiveAt5@jiveAt55 жыл бұрын
    • @@jiveAt5 dude basque country is a part of Spain what are you talking about😂😂😂

      @andertenis@andertenis5 жыл бұрын
    • @@andertenis Basque country is just a village in Spain

      @jiveAt5@jiveAt55 жыл бұрын
  • I've been going to jai-alai games since the 1970s. I discovered it in Las Vegas where there was a fronton (the arena where the game is played) in the old MGM casino-hotel (now Bally's). I'm a lifetime handball player, so I appreciate the sport and the skill needed to play it. As such I can enjoy matches without betting on them, although of course the wagering increases interest for everyone. In my opinion the primary reason for the fall of the sport is the proliferation of gambling options through the decades. Back in the 70s there were no casinos or (legal) sports gambling (outside of Nevada), no lotteries, no OTB wagering, no online wagering, etc. I think jai-alai died in Vegas because it was too slow for the average tourist who wanted fast casino action. There were not many people watching the games. But I found it a nice break from the casinos. Jai-alai had a nice run in Connecticut, but started to falter there too when other, faster gambling options appeared. How many people would watch a handball match for example? Or a racquetball match? Even with a betting option the audience would be a meager one. Those who don't play these sports can't appreciate the artistry and skill involved, especially when played at the highest level. I think that's their loss. As for me, I've had a great time watching jai-alai matches for the last 40-plus years. And I still occasionally go down to Florida to catch some games.

    @stillhunt76@stillhunt765 жыл бұрын
    • It wasn't called jai alai nor zesta Punta either It was called by another name, but I can't remember the name they used, I remember going to watch it though right after I got off work, when I dressed the show girls in Hello Hollywood, Hello at the MGM Grand, in Reno, I absolutely loved watching it! One of my favorite things to do!

      @trudiegentry-pears6810@trudiegentry-pears6810 Жыл бұрын
    • @@trudiegentry-pears6810 After apparently closing for good a few months ago, Dania jai-alai is getting a reprieve, albeit a short one. They will play for two months - December and January. If you are interested, here is the schedule: dark on Mon & Tue, evening performances on Wed, Thu, and Fri, matinee and evening performances on Sat and matinee performances on Sun. I'm hoping I can get down there for a few days. If the meet goes well there is a possibility that it will be extended. Let's hope.

      @stillhunt76@stillhunt76 Жыл бұрын
  • My grandfather and father played and this sport is definitely dear to my heart. My son is holding a little sesta and pelota charm right now lol I found this video to show him what his Avi used to play!

    @cristinamartinez3431@cristinamartinez3431 Жыл бұрын
  • In France children plays a mix of tennis and cesta punta during their free time at school. You need a tennis ball, a wall and you hit the ball with your hand, the rules are universal : the ball must make a rebound before touching the wall and is allowed to make one rebound after hitting the wall (you’re allowed to volley it before the rebound if you want) each players takes his turn, you’re eliminated when you fail to properly shoot the ball, you play until there’s only one player left and then you start again. In France every kid has spent countless hours playing this in the schoolyard.

    @TeeloSeyna@TeeloSeyna3 жыл бұрын
  • Will Farrell as Benny Bueno and Ben Stiller as Lutador Noche in a comedy classic: Jai Alai - rise of an underdog

    @123puta3@123puta35 жыл бұрын
  • They need some high speed cameras for the sweet JAI-A-LIGHT reels!

    @masterimbecile@masterimbecile6 жыл бұрын
    • masterimbecile yeah!!!!

      @davenwatts8173@davenwatts81736 жыл бұрын
    • What they really need is to make the ball more visible even if they have to paint the back wall black change the ball color to neon yellow or green and use fluorescent lighting they could even use lumilor an electroluminescent paint to Mark out the lines on the court it could also be used on the helmets and those cup glove looking things so that basically everything you need to pay attention to is glowing Modernize the look of the equipment and the uniforms it reminds me of the real life version of that game from Tron so if you make it look more like that it would probably grow in popularity

      @shadowstorm79mc@shadowstorm79mc3 жыл бұрын
    • kzhead.info/sun/hrOneK9xnqponZE/bejne.html

      @michaelperry6376@michaelperry63763 жыл бұрын
  • LEE! You go son. You were great in Milford, Bridgeport, Miami and finally Dania. Now he's a casino manager at Dania. Lee....or Leon Sheppard's player name was Tevin. I grew up with him.

    @clammer23@clammer23 Жыл бұрын
  • This sport honestly looks really fun and I would love to play

    @Winters_Touch@Winters_Touch7 ай бұрын
  • I went to the fronton in Tampa during the early 1980s. I wouldn't say it was boring. However, the ball moved too fast for me to be able to follow it. I felt that the players had to be highly skilled to be able to play this game.

    @vickyabramowitz4919@vickyabramowitz49196 жыл бұрын
  • Man WOW in Florida my folks used to love this game in the 80's bet on matches.

    @PRhymeExample@PRhymeExample6 жыл бұрын
    • Its still out there

      @michaelperry6376@michaelperry63763 жыл бұрын
  • We have street here in Cebu City legit called "Jai Alai". Nice to know it finally gets recognition

    @hu3bman@hu3bman2 жыл бұрын
  • I knew this sport from Steven Skiena's book around 1 year ago. This is the first time I watch a video of Jai Alai

    @PeterAdiSaputro@PeterAdiSaputro4 жыл бұрын
  • this sport is from BASQUE COUNTRY not Spain or France.Its tipical sport like esku pilota(that they play with naked hands).

    @diegomelchor4733@diegomelchor47336 жыл бұрын
    • Basque country is Spain.... google is available to the public

      @petersommelier@petersommelier4 жыл бұрын
    • Euskadi es España

      @javierpousada6580@javierpousada65804 жыл бұрын
    • Si yo no te digo que no euskadi es españita

      @diegomelchor4733@diegomelchor47334 жыл бұрын
    • Esta claro que euskadi es españa

      @diegomelchor4733@diegomelchor47334 жыл бұрын
  • That actually looks super sick. Never heard of it.

    @adamlambertlifts6142@adamlambertlifts61426 жыл бұрын
  • Back around 1970, I would visit Florida and go to the Jai Ali games. Great fun. I am surprised and sad it has died out.

    @larrysepicmovies5044@larrysepicmovies5044 Жыл бұрын
  • My exposure to this as a kid wasn't any of those, I saw pictures of it in a magazine.. might have been SI for kids .. this game definitely needs more exposure..

    @DemonChildCC@DemonChildCC Жыл бұрын
  • Reminds me of the first tron movie

    @simonrau6767@simonrau67676 жыл бұрын
  • All they had to do was introduce it in India. It would’ve blown up there. They love all sports. Soccer, cricket, squash, badminton etc.

    @btvbrndn@btvbrndn5 жыл бұрын
    • kzhead.info/sun/hrOneK9xnqponZE/bejne.html working on it. US First, lol

      @michaelperry6376@michaelperry63763 жыл бұрын
  • I used to play shows at art walk in wynwood, miami. One of the musicians i played with also played in a band called Jalalai (his main band, whic you should def check out if you have a minute). I just now understood where the name came from! Truly enlightening.

    @687ffokcuf@687ffokcuf5 жыл бұрын
  • I remember riding in the station wagon in the late 70's & 80's in Daytona when I was kid (we were from up north) and going by the Daytona 500, the dog track & then seeing the Jai Alai building & signage. I like how they also wrote it as "Hi-Li" for us who didn't know how to pronounce the regular spelling.

    @jackshittle@jackshittle2 жыл бұрын
  • This is like extreme level handball

    @kutter_ttl6786@kutter_ttl67866 жыл бұрын
  • Since Jai Alai was super famous in the Philippines, there's a whole street named after the game.

    @theresepatriziatipgos2942@theresepatriziatipgos29426 жыл бұрын
  • Thanks Miami Vice, Really brought me back so many memories, and reminded me of this Sport

    @o.portista@o.portista Жыл бұрын
  • My parents used to bring me there at Dania when I was a kid... insane how time fly by.

    @KSturmm@KSturmm2 жыл бұрын
  • In the 80's, Tijuana had the most beautiful Jai Alai palace with booths instead of seats. It was a fantastic experience, especially the sound. Today it's a dance club. Very sad.

    @amazingbollweevil@amazingbollweevil6 жыл бұрын
  • I thought my favorite beer was going out of business.

    @Imbackoutside@Imbackoutside5 жыл бұрын
  • i used to watch it here in philipppines on some cable channels very late at night. i was totally hooked up with for a whike until the university entrance exams came around.

    @seph9980@seph99806 жыл бұрын
  • I watched Jai Alai at the MGM Grand in Reno, Nevada in 1979. Cool game. I would definitely attend if I lived in Miami.

    @Saint_Ann@Saint_Ann6 ай бұрын
  • The only thing I recall about it was that it was on Miami Vice.

    @nealwright5630@nealwright56305 жыл бұрын
  • I want to keep this sport going and for it to grow

    @rocketleaves9651@rocketleaves96515 жыл бұрын
  • Never heard of it till now. Looks like a lot of fun either playing or watching.

    @davidmiles4678@davidmiles4678 Жыл бұрын
  • This will allways remind me '80 movies. In my country this sport is absolutely unknown.

    @jareknowak8712@jareknowak87126 жыл бұрын
  • Basque Sport.This kind of games playing with a ball against a wall come originally from mostly Basque Country. Pelota, zesta punta, trinquete, pala, paleta, frontenis, xare... are the different modalities that are played. As well as there are 3 types of fronton for playing, being JAI ALAI the longest ones for this kind of game. The first man to circumnavigate around the globe was Juan Sebastian Elkano Basque, and as you can imagine the conquerors would apply their cultural sport wherever they went as a form of entertainment. Such a shame to call this sport "the American forgotten sport"... Go to North of Spain or South France, and you will see the matches are full of people betting... thousands go into betting for this kind of games

    @jorieramage1940@jorieramage19406 жыл бұрын
  • Remember the 80's movie TRON where Kevin Flynn was playing Jai Alai in the "Grid"!

    @ubik5453@ubik54535 жыл бұрын
  • I could only ever describe this sport as "That game being played in the Miami Vice intro".

    @LeeePowers@LeeePowers2 жыл бұрын
  • BASIC RULES as it's played in the Basque Country: Played doubles or three against two, one of the players serves first after a heads or tails game. He has to throw the ball to the front wall (frontis) between the two upper and lower marks. If this doesn't happen the rivals score. Also during the serve the ball must bounce between the two marks on the floor. If you go too short (falta) the other team scores, if you go too long (pasa) you can try it a second time. The objective is to catch the ball, which goes very very fast, with the basket (zesta) and throw it inmediately to the wall. If you can't do it and the ball bounces two times it's a point for the other team. You can of course throw the ball to the back wall (rebote) and the game still goes on. There's also a mark on the floor which goes from wall to wall that marks the limits of the field. If the first bounce is out of that line it's a point for the other team. Hope this helps to everyone willing to know how it's played. Questions are welcome.

    @jonpeley@jonpeley2 жыл бұрын
  • Seems like it went away from being too specialized. Football you just need a ball and something to mark the goals.

    @BigAdam2050@BigAdam20506 жыл бұрын
    • Cricket needs a ball, bat and 3 sticks to play. Doesn't stop the poorest of people in the Indian subcontinent from playing the game their idols play.

      @Seatux@Seatux6 жыл бұрын
    • Csősz Máté me thinks he mentioned Soccer, which Football is the correct name for it outside the US.

      @Seatux@Seatux6 жыл бұрын
    • I mean, every sport is specialized... you just need to play it at a high lvl... Tennis or badminton can seem easy but they aren't

      @MrGabiiiii94@MrGabiiiii946 жыл бұрын
    • How about motorsport racing, F1 in particular? Can't get anymore complex than cutting edge machine engineering.

      @gelmir7322@gelmir73226 жыл бұрын
    • The replies to you are embarassingly dumb. Do they get that you need an entire precisely made arena and every player needs one of these specially made mitt-things?

      @ChartreuseDan@ChartreuseDan6 жыл бұрын
  • I remember wanting to go see this as a kid but couldn't because it was gambling 😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣. I had no idea they still did this. I was just in For.Lauderdale last week and drove past this casino. Had I known this I would have gone inside.

    @Kodboattours@Kodboattours4 жыл бұрын
  • I played this in my PE class in middle school. This sport was super fun.

    @JH-hb5cc@JH-hb5cc6 жыл бұрын
  • New Dania season starts in December. Can’t wait to watch live

    @brucefan23@brucefan237 ай бұрын
  • Who can tell me what's the song that starts at 0:51? Thanks!

    @cargadetrabalhos@cargadetrabalhos5 жыл бұрын
  • Miami Vice vibes

    @isaacl.4452@isaacl.44526 жыл бұрын
  • Miami Vice is the only reason I know about this sport. A few years ago I I decided to check out Miami Vice for the 1st time & binged watched it. I saw the intro, & wondered, what game are they playing w/ a scoop?

    @blakewilliams5627@blakewilliams56275 жыл бұрын
  • Loved this game when I was younger growing up in S. FLORIDA. I would go if they had it in AZ

    @JoeSmith-gw6hc@JoeSmith-gw6hc3 жыл бұрын
  • i think this sport comes from the Basque autonomous region of Spain.

    @kokonana4086@kokonana40866 жыл бұрын
    • munu numu thanks! Its neither spanish nor french!! Btw "jai alai" is how we call the place where u play it (or fronton) and it means "happy party". The sport its call "zesta punta".

      @anderandcommander@anderandcommander6 жыл бұрын
    • But it did originate in the Basque Country.

      @erichlf@erichlf6 жыл бұрын
    • Erich Foster i dont understand why u say "but". (sorry, as u see english isnt my mother language)

      @anderandcommander@anderandcommander6 жыл бұрын
    • ander commander porque pensé estaba diciendo que no era de Euskadi.

      @erichlf@erichlf6 жыл бұрын
    • ander commander eres de paíse vasco? He vivado en Bilbao.

      @erichlf@erichlf6 жыл бұрын
  • I thought That they were swinging bananas at balls......

    @darkk_8584@darkk_85846 жыл бұрын
    • who?

      @darkk_8584@darkk_85846 жыл бұрын
    • The Nerf Ninja wooooosh

      @skaikaao@skaikaao6 жыл бұрын
    • kzhead.info/sun/YKePZLVsgmeif3A/bejne.html

      @michaelperry6376@michaelperry63763 жыл бұрын
    • No kzhead.info/sun/hrOneK9xnqponZE/bejne.html

      @michaelperry6376@michaelperry63763 жыл бұрын
  • A game much more fun in person when throwing a few bucks towards betting and trying to pay attention to the players and actual difficulty of the game. Pretty fun the few times I went living in Florida for a few years.

    @EricCKeys@EricCKeys5 жыл бұрын
  • I remember my grandfather telling me he went a Dania few times and that the games were quite clearly fixed. The players were barely even trying to hide it.

    @humanbeing2420@humanbeing24202 ай бұрын
  • you read this have a nice day

    @JustACrate.@JustACrate.6 жыл бұрын
    • Cameron Sare aww thank you

      @aal834@aal8346 жыл бұрын
    • Thanks, you too

      @swissbankroll1929@swissbankroll19296 жыл бұрын
    • Cameron Sare is thanks

      @nicholaslemmon8504@nicholaslemmon85046 жыл бұрын
    • 7 months late, but you too.

      @abrahemsamander3967@abrahemsamander39675 жыл бұрын
  • Lol i lived in Cebu City, Jai-Alai in the Philippines

    @kitsunefoxx9701@kitsunefoxx97016 жыл бұрын
    • Blïtz Krïeg same here bro lol #MambalingBoiz

      @bequiet97@bequiet976 жыл бұрын
    • Benileo Quijano 😂😂😂

      @kitsunefoxx9701@kitsunefoxx97016 жыл бұрын
  • Saw jai alai as a kid on TV. Family tried to go to one and the place said kids are not allowed because it's a gambling place and this is one of the problems of this sport.

    @JohnIbizu@JohnIbizu5 жыл бұрын
  • Dang, from a person who loves to play racquetball, that looks like a ton of fun.

    @trumpetperson11@trumpetperson115 жыл бұрын
    • It is kzhead.info/sun/n5qcYrqKmZWFjHA/bejne.html live at 10 this morning

      @michaelperry6376@michaelperry63763 жыл бұрын
  • This sport is simultaneously of the past but looks like it's from the future

    @breekenneth@breekenneth5 жыл бұрын
  • My Spanish teach showed the class a video of Jai Alai, but it looked a little odd not gonna lie

    @slak6464@slak64646 жыл бұрын
  • It seems really cool and unique. It’s literally the first time of ever hearing about the sport and I was surprised that you guys are so close. I literally live in Florida. So I’m assuming there’s not a division for you in the Olympics? Because, like I said, I’ve never heard of the sport, my whole life.

    @kiyanabrown867@kiyanabrown86711 ай бұрын
  • I saw Jai Alai for the first time in 2010 when I was in Miami. I was 15 and convinced my parents to go. Place was empty. Less then 200 people in a 12,000 person arena. It was fun and I would go back. If I could bet on it online and watch it online, I would do it almost nightly.

    @maxscameraguy@maxscameraguy6 жыл бұрын
  • It's still big in the Philippines.

    @asusasus5277@asusasus52776 жыл бұрын
  • It comes from Spain and France??? Come on man its a traditional sport from the basque country. Actually Jai Alai means happy party in basque lenguage

    @aup007@aup0076 жыл бұрын
    • Not spai not france

      @ignaciobarandiaranuriarte1982@ignaciobarandiaranuriarte19824 жыл бұрын
  • The origin is in the Basque Country, specifically French Basque Country, not only “Spain and France”. It is a sport characteristic of the Basque culture. “Jai” means party and “Alai” happy; Happy party. The name of the sport comes from a fronton (handball court) in Donostia San Sebastian, called precisely Jai Alai.

    @eneko1714@eneko171410 ай бұрын
  • I thought the title said Jay Ajayi, and was worried about my fantasy football team. On topic, I've never heard of this sport.

    @Drakunus8787@Drakunus87876 жыл бұрын
  • you also can't play the game if you're left handed.

    @Larry@Larry5 жыл бұрын
    • Last place I'd expect to see one of my favorite game guys

      @felipepubillones2768@felipepubillones27685 жыл бұрын
    • And so they go to baseball.

      @marsneedstowels@marsneedstowels3 жыл бұрын
  • It's a very dangerous game... Sterling Archer of ISIS

    @forrestl5597@forrestl55976 жыл бұрын
  • I went to shot a documentary at Jai Alai in Miami, we ran away from there. The place was dark, all the homeless people from the area were inside on the chairs enjoying the AC. The place was abandoned. They still had the same huge 80" rear-projection TVs from the 80s. They didn't change ANYTHING since the 80's. They haven't even clean the place. You really need to have some sort of mental issue to keep a venue so dirty and deteriorated and functioning! It was a ghetto.

    @realitycheck2539@realitycheck25394 жыл бұрын
  • I learned about this in school , this helps alot

    @Noob_froggy@Noob_froggy2 жыл бұрын
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