As noted before, we are big fans of the folks over at Atlas Obscura. They just do amazing work highlighting the odd places and things all over this great world of ours. I recently stumbled over an article that explains how jousting -- yes, JOUSTING -- is the official state sport of Maryland. I mean, HOW COOL IS THAT!?
Jousting is apparently very rooted in history in Maryland.
Jousting tournaments have been taking place in the Mid-Atlantic state since colonial times, a medieval tradition brought over from the old country. But it wasn’t until 1962 that Maryland named jousting its official state sport, simultaneously making it the first U.S. state to make such a designation. To this day, only a handful of U.S. states have chosen to name official state sports, and fewer still have chosen something as esoteric as jousting.The sport first made its way from England to Maryland thanks to the influence of colonial Maryland’s first governor, Cecil Calvert, and later, his son Charles. It’s a tradition that’s managed to survive through the centuries, embedding itself in the state’s cultural DNA.
(Side note: Another cool, old sport that I stumbled across at Atlas Obscura was Pushball. I'm sad this drifted away into the ether of time!)
North Carolina is one of those few states mentioned with an official state sport. There are some really cool ones out there. California gets surfing. Alaska boasts mushing. There are a few that list rodeo. And so on.
Ours is .... {checks notes} ... stock car racing. Make sense, I reckon. It is a sport steeped in this state and very much ingrained. It is probably the most appropriate choice for an official state sport in North Carolina. But part of me wishes the state sport of N.C. was something a bit more egalitarian. But heck, not everyone can afford horses, either.
What other sports could be considered the state sport? Gotta think college basketball was in the discussion. Anything else? (I'm not the only one who thinks about silly stuff like this, by the way.)
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