25 Dumbest Sports Ever Created

Posted by , Updated on March 28, 2024

We live in a strange world with strange ways. As you might have already noticed, this trend filtered into sport too. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of different sport disciplines practiced all over the world. Some of them will just leave you questioning the sanity of those who invented them. Ranging from ridiculous and confusing to downright creepy and dumb, some sports just make no sense at all. To learn more about some of the dumbest sports ever invented, check out this post with 25 Dumbest Sports Ever Created.

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25

Bog Snorkeling

Bog Snorkeling Source: self.gutenberg.org

Invented in Wales in 1976, Bog Snorkeling is a sporting event that consists of competitors completing two consecutive lengths of a water-filled trench cut through a peat bog in the shortest time possible. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers and complete the course without using conventional swimming strokes, relying on flipper power alone.

24

Crab Racing

hermit crabSource: crabrace.com

Crab Racing is a serious sport in some Caribbean and Pacific island countries. The crabs collected for the event (usually Hermit crabs) are labeled with race numbers and spectators can bet on the winner. Actually, there is even the National Crab Racing Association that was established in 1979.

23

Cheese Rolling

Cheese Rolling Source: bbc.co.uk

Held annually at Cooper’s Hill near Gloucester, England, Cheese Rolling is one of the oldest and most bizarre customs to have survived in the UK. This sporting event has been going on for hundreds of years; some say it has its roots in pre-Roman times. Now a world-famous event, the contest is also notorious for how many people get seriously injured in it.

22

Chess Boxing

Chess Boxing Source: wcbo.org

A crazy hybrid of two completely different sports, Chess Boxing is exactly what it sounds like – a combination of chess and boxing. This unusual sport was brought to life in 2003 by Dutch artist Iepe Rubingh, who was inspired by a graphic sci-fi novel from 1992.

21

Shin Kicking

Shin KickingSource: mirror.co.uk

One of the worst and most painful sports ever created, Shin Kicking is another bizarre sport that originated in the UK. Simply put, competitors hold on to each other – and then kick each other’s shins until one of them falls over. And yes – it is just as painful as it sounds.

20

Car Curling

car curlingSource: washingtonpost.com

If you consider curling a bizarre sport, you probably haven’t heard of Car Curling. Invented in Russia, Car Curling is very similar to the original sport. However, there are two innovations – you use cars instead of the granite stones and real humans instead of the brooms.

19

Toe Wrestling

Toe WrestlingSource: independent.co.uk

In Toe Wrestling, the two competitors sit opposite each other with their feet on a board, lock toes, and try to force their opponent’s foot down. It’s the best of three rounds. The best part?Each round is known as a toe-down. Unsurprisingly, this sport was invented in the UK.

18

Mountain Unicycling (aka "muni")

Mountain Unicycling Source: abc.net.au

As if riding a unicycle wasn’t hard enough, someone came up with the idea of riding it up and down a mountain. Mountain Unicycling events recognized by the International Unicycling Federation are: cross-country, uphill and downhill, with the possibility of North Shore downhill.

17

Extreme Ironing

Extreme IroningSource: zimbio.com

Extreme ironing is an extreme (and extremely weird) sport in which people take ironing boards to crazy locations and iron items of clothing. The sport has taken place in many bizarre places These places include on a mountainside, in a canoe, on a sea bottom, and while parachuting.

16

Wife Carrying

Wife Carrying Source: wife-carrying.org

A sport in which male competitors race while carrying female teammates, Wife Carrying originated in Finland. The first event was held in 1992 with foreign contestants being admitted starting in 1995. The World Championship is held annually in the Finnish town of Sonkajarvi. A North American Championship was started in 1999.

15

Ferret Legging

FerretSource: topendsports.com

In Ferret Legging, competitors tie the bottoms of their pants closed, drop a ferret down the pants, and close the top tightly with a belt. You can imagine what an angry ferret with sharp teeth and claws, trapped in a pair of pants, can do. This sport became a popular competition among coal miners in Yorkshire, England, in the 1970’s.

14

Underwater Hockey

Underwater HockeySource: cmas.org

Also known as “Octopush,” Underwater Hockey is a limited-contact sport invented by the British Navy in the 1950’s. It was created to keep their divers fit and to improve their ability to move and work efficiently under water. The game came to Australia shortly after; it has evolved into a dynamic sport, played in more than 20 countries.

13

Belly Flopping

Belly FloppingSource: radiotimes.com

Belly Flopping is a Norwegian sport where the normal fear you get when diving becomes the goal. Competitors have to jump from a 10 m (33 ft) height with their bodies as stretched out as possible. Then they curl into a ball immediately before hitting the water. The diver who stays in the flat position the longest, wins.

12

Kite Tubing

Tubing_on_Pleasant_Lake_MNSource: abcnews.go.com

Kite Tubing is a sport in which a large inflatable device is used to let people “fly” behind a motorboat in a way similar to water-skiing. It is actually even more dangerous than it looks; there have been several deaths associated with this sport.

11

Cricket Spitting

CricketSource: revolvy.com

This delightful sport was developed in 1996 by entomologist Tom Turpin at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Cricket Spitting is a sport in which contestants put a dead cricket in their mouth…and then spit it as far as they can.

10

Pea Shooting

peasSource: central.gutenberg.org

The World Pea Shooting Championship has been held annually since 1971 in the village of Witcham near Ely in Cambridgeshire, England. The competition tends to be dominated by local competitors. Though a small number travel from around the world, most notably the US.

9

Worm Charming

Worm CharmingSource: bleacherreport.com

The practice of coaxing earthworms from wet dirt can be found all over the world, usually as a method of collecting bait for fishing. However, in England, they have turned it into a sport discipline. The World Worm Charming Championships has been held annually here since 1980. The wormers are given a little square of land to fiddle, grunt, and charm their way to glory by collecting more worms than anyone else.

8

Limbo Skating

Limbo Skating Source: businessinsider.com

Limbo Skating is a sport in which a person drives on roller skates underneath a horizontally placed obstacle without touching it. The sport is very popular in India, particularly among kids. Some are able to limbo skate under poles that are just 23 cm (9 in) above the ground.

7

Buzkashi

Buzkashi Source: dailymail.co.uk

Literally translated as “goat pulling,” Buzkashi is a brutal Central Asian sport in which horse-mounted players attempt to place a headless goat carcass in a goal. It is the national sport of Afghanistan; however, it was banned during the Taliban regime. Buzkashi matches are usually very fierce and can last for up to several days.

6

Bird Chirping

Bird ChirpingSource: repeatingislands.com

Bird Chirping is a long-running and very popular sport in Suriname. The contests are all about testing a songbird’s chirping power. Caged feathered competitors get a set amount of time to chirp as much as possible. The bird with the most chirps wins the match.

5

Bo Taoshi

Bo Taoshi Source: allday.com

Supposedly invented as a part of training for the Japanese Military, Bo Taoshi is a bizarre sport that looks like an extreme version of capture the flag. Every year, as part of its induction ceremony, Japan’s National Defense Academy has new cadets split up into two teams of 75 and play against each other to control a pole.

4

Cardboard Tube Fighting

Cardboard Tube FightingSource: wired.com

Most of us did some cardboard tube fighting as kids. Robert Easley, a social worker from the San Francisco Bay Area, did not want to abandon the cardboard fun as an adult. So what did he do? He founded the Cardboard Tube Fighting League. Tournaments and battles hosted by this (now international) organization are increasingly popular.

3

Quidditch

Muggle QuidditchSource: usquidditch.org

Based on the fictional game of the same name featured in the Harry Potter series, Quiddish is a sport of two teams of seven players. Each player is mounted on broomsticks played on a hockey rink-sized playing field. It is a weird mix of elements from rugby, dodgeball, and tag.

2

Rock – Paper - Scissors

Rock – Paper - ScissorsSource: askmen.com

The rules are well known – scissors cut paper, paper envelops rock, and rock smashes scissors. Traditionally a game of chance used to settle disputes, Rock – Paper – Scissors is also a popular sport these days. Las Vegas even hosts an annual Rock – Paper – Scissors World Championship.

1

Dwarf Tossing

dwarfSource: International Dwarf Tossing Association via Wikipedia

Dwarf Tossing is a controversial sport in which dwarfism-affected people wearing special padded clothing or Velcro costumes are thrown onto mattresses…or at Velcro-coated walls. Participants compete to throw the dwarf the farthest.



Photos: 25. Rud-grRUD 2880 resizeCC BY-SA 3.0, 24. pexels (public domain), 23. Dave FarranceCheeseRollingRaceCC BY-SA 3.0, 22. Sascha PohfleppChess Boxing 2007 (3)CC BY 2.0, 21. David Stowell, Shin kicking at the OlimpicksCC BY-SA 2.0, 20. Shaun Martin via youtube. Under creative commons reuse license, 19. pixabay (public domain), 18. jber.af.mil (public domain), 17. Theredrocket at English WikipediaExtermeironingrivelinCC BY-SA 3.0, 16. wikimedia commons (public domain), 15. pixabay (public domain), 14. DavidUnderwaterOctopushTwoPlayers28092009CC BY-SA 3.0, 13. prayitnophotography via flickr, CC BY 2.0, 12. Peter Opatrny, Tubing on Pleasant Lake MNCC BY-SA 3.0, 11. pixabay (public domain), 10. pixabay (pubic domain), 9. Graham Shaw, Willaston – Worm CharmingCC BY-SA 2.0, 8. PaavansG. Devishree – Limbo Skating under Bar World RecordCC BY-SA 4.0, 7. Peretz Partensky from San Francisco, USA, Buzkashi (5458888136)CC BY-SA 2.0, 6. pixabay (public domain), 5. wikimedia commons (public domain), 4. Helen Cook via flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, 3. BenHollandPhotographyMuggle QuidditchCC BY-SA 4.0, 2. Jeff EatonRock, Paper, ScissorsCC BY-SA 2.0, 1. Etching after G. Cruikshank, 1836, A dwarf throwing away a knife and exclaiming to a startled m Wellcome V0007432CC BY 4.0