Unfortunately for the Olmec, they never got around to inventing the inflatable ball, so those balls were solid rubber and could weigh several pounds. I imagine that raised the stakes a scoche.
The big sporting event they played was something like basketball, but the “hoop” was vertical rather than horizontal. I don’t think they could use their hands, so imagine trying to play basketball without using your hands like soccer, and with a heavy ball. I hear the stakes were very high for the winner and loser, involving sacrifice like most mesoamerican rituals during that period.
Unfortunately for the Olmec, they never got around to inventing the inflatable ball, so those balls were solid rubber and could weigh several pounds. I imagine that raised the stakes a scoche.
The big sporting event they played was something like basketball, but the “hoop” was vertical rather than horizontal. I don’t think they could use their hands, so imagine trying to play basketball without using your hands like soccer, and with a heavy ball. I hear the stakes were very high for the winner and loser, involving sacrifice like most mesoamerican rituals during that period.