Today’s email is about medieval bloodsports (except for bull-baiting, which gets its own email). Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane to look at some of the best bloodsports Europe had to offer. There’s that crowd favorite, fox tossing, in which foxes and other small animals were thrown onto a piece of fabric, which was then stretched taut, launching them high into the air. The sport was enjoyed by Kings and Emperors, as well as every other bored, blood-crazed lunatic.

How could I not mention cock throwing, an English bloodsport that involved throwing sticks at birds until they died. That’s the whole game. Still, that made more sense than goose pulling, which featured a lubed-up goose tied to a rope. Competitors on horseback would ride by and try to rip off the goose’s head at speed. Then there’s goose pulling’s close relative, eel pulling. Here’s a fun video on a riot it caused.

There are some animal fighting sports still practiced today, like camel wrestling, bullfighting, cricket fighting, and, of course, the particularly cruel cockfighting. Nowadays, however, most people prefer animals to have safer, auxiliary roles in sports, which gives us sports like skijoring. Skijoring is a sport that developed out of Sámi reindeer herding and racing. The skier holds onto a rope or harness attached to a reindeer, dog, motorcycle, snowmobile, or, in the U.S., a horse. They try to hang on as they go over jumps, dodge obstacles, and collect rings. American skijoring is a curious blend of this very Nordic activity with American cowboy culture. Here’s a video about it.

I’ll see you all at practice,

Lev “I do not condone or support any of these sports (except for maybe skijoring). These sports are cruel and brutal, and I’m glad most of them are no longer practiced” Bernstein

Secretary, Quiz Bowl at the ASPCA, 1866-2021