Maybe you can relate to this. You want to pick up a hobby, some kind of activity that will provide you with the requisite exercise, social life and fun you crave. But the activities available just seem… boring.
Sure, you could join an intramural soccer team, or a beer league softball team or a running group, but none of those ideas particularly excite you. They’re too milquetoast, too plain and too overplayed. Is it even possible, you wonder, to join a sport league that’s going to tick off all the self-betterment boxes and be novel?
You’re in luck. The world’s a weird place, and it’s getting weirder every day. A number of leagues specializing in unconventional sports have cropped up, and they might just be exactly what you need right now. Just check out one of the following sports, each one a far cry from the conventional team sports you’re used to.
Axe Throwing
Steadily gaining popularity over the past few years, you can now find axe throwing in most cities. While it’s still primarily populated with birthday parties, bachelorette parties and corporate team events, you can absolutely join a local axe throwing league that meets and competes regularly.
You can just sign up for a league, no prior experience required. It’s a fairly simple activity to pick up, and once you get the hang of it, it’s surprisingly addictive. Plus, it looks incredibly cool. If you’re unfamiliar with the sport, it basically centers on throwing an axe at a wooden target, competing with others in the same way you’d compete in a darts game.
Quidditch
Unless you grew up underneath a rock, you’re probably familiar with Quidditch, the fictional Hogwarts game from the Harry Potter series. What you may not be familiar with, however, is the fact that this game has been adapted to real life play.
You can now take your brooms and balls to a field hockey pitch and play an approximate form of Quidditch in a team league. They exist anywhere die-hard Harry Potter fans exist, and the leagues are usually very welcoming to newcomers and outsiders.
Dodgeball
What used to be a very niche sport, confined to the odd college league or grade school yard, was popularized in a big way back in 2004, when the comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story hit theatres. In the intervening 15 years, the sport has slowly gained a dedicated following, and sparked a discussion about the role of sports.
Now, most cities host at least a few dodgeball leagues. The aim of the game is pretty simple: you throw balls at your opponents on the other side of the court, while, at the same time, avoid getting hit yourself. The simplicity of the game shouldn’t mislead you though, as this is often a high-octane, exciting sport.
If you want to partake in an enriching activity, but yawn every time someone brings up tennis or hockey, try one of these exciting, unconventional sports, available in most cities.