[Eventine]

There's a fair bit of drama going on with my favourite sport rugby league, after the team leading the Australian competition was found to have breached the salary cap and stripped of their competition points.

Which got me thinking about sport in fantasy.

Can anyone thinkof examples of organised sporting competitions in fantasy novels?
Apart from the obvious jousting/archery/melee and the odd hunt, I can't seem to recall any examples of sport in any novels I've read.
Any suggestions on why we haven't seen this in novels?



Maybe I could write a book about a group of 12th century soccer hooligans....

[chocky]

Any suggestions on why we haven't seen this in novels?
Honestly, I don't know. Sports have been around for centuries (i.e. Olympics, horse & dog racing etc.) Also, the chariot races in Ben Hur were exciting and compelling. So it seems odd that I can't think of any.
Wait a minute. I remember novels about Finn MacCool by Kenneth C Flint. They had a sporting compitition that I thought was the best part of the book.

[Cannon Fodder]

I suppose the reason that sports aren't included very much in Fantasy novels is simply that most fantasy is concerned with big events rather than everyday life. As with a lot of the elements of normal life sport is out in the background for the most part.

Or maybe most fantasy writers are just the indoors types... :)

[Bond]

Chariot racing played a role in Kay's Sarantine Mosaic duology. Of course there is also the quidditch matches and that "other competition" in the Harry Potter series. Cannot think of much else at the moment though.

[Eventine]

Or maybe most fantasy writers are just the indoors types...

:D

I was going to suggest that maybe that was the case, but figured some of the author types hanging around might take offence...

At least I know that if they take offence they aren't likely to be able to physically harm me then.

I haven't read anything by Kay or any of the Potter books, but I just remembered a mention of a soccer like sport in the Sword of Truth books. It doesn't play much of a part in the storyline though from what I remember.

[Fenn628]

Ok Ok...I'll say it.



Quiddich from Harry Potter.

[kegasaurus]

This seems familiar, hasn't it been none before?

[Alle]

This topic does seem very familiar. *s*

There was also horse racing in WoT in Ebou Dar...

[Lifino]

The M.Y.T.H. books by Asprin had some form of rugby/football(us.)

Melanie Rawn had some scenes centered around horse racing(and betting)

D. Duncan's The Gilded Chain had a form of a blood-sport where a person was killed each day in a sort of greek colloseum sort of way... Kinda lame reason behind it, and really not worth the read if that's what your looking for.

On the other hand, when do you see the main characters just taking time out to enjoy themselves? They are always running around, always moving the story along.

[Holbrook]

Had an idea for a sport played by the guilds of a city.

It was based on "stick fighting" bouts, pitching one guild against another, betting, grudge matches the whole thing *g* It had a set of rules, "playing area" all worked out. It was just a small part of the whole book,(two fights written) but it could be blown into a whole story centred on the sport and the way it was a matter of guild and workshop pride.....

Maybe work on it one day....