Re(1): MC and Tiger Posted on November 8, 2023 at 08:04:58 PM by boomsquared
Props to you old timers who have kept the flame lit for all these years. I'm not a youngster by any stretch but I am new to really soaking in the sport. I remember seeing jai alai in the 80s when watching Miami Vice...but growing up in Texas really didn't afford anyone local any opportunity to be exposed to the sport.
Fast forward ahead to earlier this year...I was messing around and for some reason did a youtube search for jai alai (I have no idea what drove me to do it)...and stumbled into the Magic City channel. Fortunately it was at the start of the fall season so I've been able to hear the whole gamut of explanations from Stu and Andrew and have loved every minute of it.
I find it interesting that so many oppose what MC is doing. I'm in my middle ages and I absolutely love the faster action and court setup. The camera angles are incredible and the interactions that MC has with the players mid-match are something you don't really see in any sport. I can understand those that are committed to the traditional way of playing the sport, but you can't deny that the way Magic City is presenting jai alai HAS to be appealing to younger generations who have much shorter attention spans. If you haven't tried it, check out the TikTok live feed of any of the Battle Court matches. It is incredible how much interest you get from people who have never seen the sport before. This version of jai alai is perfectly built for the TikTok generation.
I understand that jai alai (in any format) will never compete with the Big 4 leagues in the US...but it's obvious that there is huge growth opportunity for jai alai as a niche sport throughout the country (and possibly world... i.e. the Norway visitor we had during today's pelota matches). Something like jai alai might do really well in an area like here in Portland where people just think differently about things. Hipsters love new cool things...and jai alai could be that thing (haha...yup, Portland is full of hipsters).
One last thing because I've rambled quite a bit...another thing that has really attracted me to jai alai is the attitude of the people in the pelota chat. Everyone is welcoming and seemingly good-natured. As a green fan, it's really nice to interact with someone who has expert knowledge of the sport (Stu, Andrew, the other Youtube posters) and not be looked down on. It has been quite the opposite...any chance to help someone understand the sport better, everyone jumps at the opportunity. So cheers to you, Tiger, and everyone else who has kept interest in this sport alive. I think your patience is going to pay off. Replies:
