Old School Gamers: A History of Leisure Sport

With the capacity for abstract thought comes the need for both mental exercise and, unfortunately, time killing. Man has invented all kinds of games: war games, board games, gambling, and sports. At LadderBallPlus, we're most interested in games that combine tossing and drinking, but we appreciate a healthy understanding of our roots. When tracing the origin of anything, it's always a safe bet to start with ancient Egypt or Greece. We were dismayed to learn that ladder ball doesn't go back quite that far. Evidence suggests the earliest board game was made in Egypt sometime around 3500 BC. The first one we've got in hand, however, dates to 2600 B.C., and was found in the 1920s in a tomb in Iraq. The game, now called the Royal Game of Ur, involved black and white pieces and three dice. The Royal Game of Ur is a terrible tailgating game. Like ladder ball, we have very few rules, but one of them is this: if the game has tiny pieces, don't bring it to the barbecue. Let's take a look at some of outdoor game classics that have stood the test of time.

Outdoor Games: Age and Beauty

Bocce Ball
What does "bocce" mean? Bocce comes from the Latin "bottia" which means "boss". So bocce ball is really "bossball," which actually sounds cooler. It all started with the ever-inventive Egyptians throwing polished rocks in 5000 BC. Bocce traveled to Greece, where the great thinkers of history added more rules. Finally it found its way to Rome, where the tough guys of history took it as their own, replacing polished rocks with coconuts and then carved olive wood balls. The sport became so popular over the centuries that almost supplanted archery as the activity of choice. By the 1500s, the Vatican had to forbid clergy from playing the game so they could focus on the Reformation. Allegedly, Sir Francis Drake of England wouldn't even fight the invading Spanish Armada until he finished his game of bocce ball.

Croquet
Pall mall or ball-mallet (would've caught on more if they called it "malletball") was a popular lawn game in 1600s Italy and France. Just like golf, pall mall was about hitting the ball into a desired point in as few strokes as possible. By the mid 1800s, Britons had turned the game into croquet, awarding extra turns for hitting other balls and developing a unique stroke. Is croquet a good tailgating game? If there's space. Otherwise, keep it to the backyard where there's plenty of grass and room to have fun.

Ladder Ball and Other Newbies
Sadly, Ladder Ball didn't make the cut for this list since came about only in the last 50 years. For the lowdown on the young hotshots of leisure sports, check out our article about fresh tailgate games. Whether you play the classics or insist on inventing a new game every time you play, the important thing is that you get outside and tailgate. Go, team!