The World Cup, by its very structure, is guaranteed to produce soaring highs and crushing lows for its participating countries. As we have to wait almost a year for the drama of the next edition, we thought we would take a look at soccer highs and lows from a more literal angle — elevation.
[fusion_title size=”4″]DEAD SEA BEACH SOCCER[/fusion_title]
Playing soccer on the beach at the Dead Sea is about as low (elevation-wise) as you can go. The idea for having a women’s beach soccer tournament at 1378 feet (420m) below sea level apparently came from the marketing department of Jordan’s Dead Sea Hotel and Spa.
[fusion_title size=”4″]UNDERWATER SOCCER[/fusion_title]
Playing soccer underwater slows the game down to a crawl. The difficulty of moving in the water with scuba gear makes this variation on the sport a great equalizer — at the bottom of the pool your average schlub is suddenly competitive with the best Premiere Leaguer players.
[fusion_title size=”4″]ROOFTOP SOCCER (OR FUTSOL)[/fusion_title]
Futsal began in Uruguay as a form of indoor soccer that could be played on basketball courts. It quickly became popular in the densely-built favelas of Brazil’s urban centers, where participants adapted it for rooftop play. Married with capoeira-style moves, the sport makes for highly entertaining viewing.
[fusion_title size=”4″]SKYDIVING SOCCER[/fusion_title]
In skydiving soccer players move near the terminal velocity for a human, which is about 124 mph (200 k/ph) with arms and legs outstretched. The length of the game is determined by the altitude from which players jump — you get about 8 seconds of additional playing time for every 1,000 foot increase.
[fusion_title size=”4″]SOCCER ON THE MOON[/fusion_title]
Until we set our sights on colonizing Mars, soccer on the Moon is pretty much as high as it gets. Not having the foresight to pack a soccer ball aboard Apollo 17, the astronauts were forced to kick around a sizable moon rock instead.
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