Jai Alai

The Excitement of Jai Alai

Jai Alai is a sport you may not be familiar with if you are from outside the USA, or if you are from anywhere within the USA other than Southern Florida. The only exception to this will be if you are from the Basque Country, the northern part of Spain, with a totally different language and a totally different culture from the rest of Spain. The government in the Basque Country, ever eager to promote one of its unique assets, states that Jai Alai is the fastest sport in the world. This is actually true, as the speed of the ball has been measured to be in advance of 180mph.

The Jai Alai court is known as “cancha” in Spanish, and is somewhat similar to a squash court. In this case, however, it is the left wall which is in play, along with the front and back. The out of bounds zone encompasses the floor beyond the confines of these walls, and also a section of the front wall which is below the three foot line. This is, again, similar to a squash court. Whereas there are only two teams on the court at the same time, there are more than two teams involved in each game.

The ball is hurled at the wall using an enormous glove, which acts something like a basket. The ball needs to land on the floor somewhere between the fourth and seventh lines. If it doesn't, the point immediately belongs to the opposition. As the teams on a Jai Alai court rotate, this will send the team to the end of the line to await their next turn to play. The point, once in play, can be forfeited in a number of ways.

The main feature of Jai Alai is that it is not just a game or sport. It is, like horse and greyhound racing, the center of a betting industry. Because of the way in which the teams are able to get to the winning score, usually seven points, in order, there is an opportunity for the game to have a winning team, and also a team finishing second and third. As with American racing, the second is called the “place”, and the third the “show”.

Betting on Jai Alai is big business in Spain's Basque Country, and it is also popular in Southern Florida. Other areas of the USA did once have a thriving Jai Alai scene, but it has largely been replaced, usually by greyhound racing. The Miami Jai Alai facility has remained at the forefront, and holds the world record for the biggest crowd at a Jai Alai fixture. If you are looking for an exciting evening of entertainment, whether you enjoy gambling or not, you could do a lot worse than check out the fast and exciting sport of Jai Alai.

 

Technorati Tags: Miami Florida, Miami Beach, Jai Alai

Articles

• Miami Florida
• Miami Hotels
• Miami Florida Beach
• Miami Real Estate
• Miami Oceanfront
• Miami Rental
• Club Miami
• Key Biscayne
• Miami Deep Sea Fishing
• Miami Holiday
• Miami Homes
• Miami International Airport
• Miami Leisure Activities
• Miami North
• Miami Shopping
• Nightclub Review
• Restaurant Review
• South Beach
• Jai Alai
• Sunny Isles



• Social Bookmark This Page
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• Privacy Policy
• Contact Us
• About Us
• Sitemap