Athletes Of The Obscure: Toe Wrestling
A quick glance into the world of one of the purest and most exhilarating sports still around.
According to Webster's dictionary, the definition of sport is "to amuse oneself." I'm assuming everyone reading this already know what sports are but sometimes we get caught up in the prestige of certain sports. If they aren't mainstream enough we just chuckle at them as we brush them off our shoulders. The ones we do this to are usually the purest form of sport. When I say purest I mean closest to the original root and definition of the word. They're Just there to amuse us. Nothing more nothing less. Not for money, not for fame, not for glory, but for amusement.
Quite possibly the greatest gift we can receive. Many times the big mainstream sports are being played for all the wrong reasons, and as the consumers of this entertainment, I think we should hold them to a higher standard. I don't know about you but I would much rather watch a sport where the participants are giving it their all because they enjoy the sport and love what they do over watching a "sport" where athletes get paid millions of dollars a year but decide to blatantly disrespect not only the country that makes this possible but also all the brave men and women who died to protect that(cough cough Colin Kaepernick).
Luckily there are plenty of sports out there that are amusement in the most wholesome sense of the word. I will be your guide into this world of obscure sports that stay true to the real meaning of the word "sport." This week I will specifically be focusing on toe wrestling. Toe wrestling is a sport derived from the sports arm wrestling. Toe wrestling was first established in the united kingdom in 1974 as a way for the English to be the best in the world at something but was discontinued after a Canadian challenger took the title in 1976.
Despite being discontinued, the sport is making a come back thanks to flashy competitors like Alan "Nasty" Nash and Paul "Toeminator" Beech. This sport may not be recognized by the Olympic committee but to me, that is what makes the athletes that compete in this obscure but entertaining sport even more remarkable. The only thing pushing them to be the best is the intrinsic drive for greatness and love of the sport.
Now the rules for toe wrestling are virtually the same as the rules for arm wrestling except instead of a battle or arm strength it is a battle of foot strength and technique. The two competitors line up opposite from each other and lock their toes together, they then begin to try and knock the other person's foot off the stage. I can't speak for the rest of you but watching two grown men lock their toes together and begin grunting as they battle to dominate their opponent's foot sounds like good entertainment to me.
I think it's about time that we start following sports for the right reason again. That reasoning is the competitive fire that is within all of us that pushes us to be the best, and the whimsical child in us that stops us from taking everything too seriously.
Daniel signing out
