Marble Madness! Obscure Sports Rule in Coronavirus Pandemic

Coronavirus
Anton Weber via AP

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Welcome to the Marble Universe, where the rushing of glass balls down race tracks, around sandy beach corners or getting thumped by fidget spinners has suddenly become as captivating as any dunk contest.

Losing your marbles looking for sports to watch during the coronavirus pandemic?

Get in on Marble Madness! No bracket needed.

Wild and wacky games straight out of the halcyon days of “Wide World of Sports” are in vogue as boredom seeps in and new forms of entertainment are in demand.

With all real sports on hiatus, fans are finding pinch-hit pastimes to pass the time, like, say, marble racing, whose videos — more viral than virus — have attracted celebrity fans and erupted into a social media sports sensation.

Some loafers sit on adjacent window sills and play catch, kick around the soccer ball and even bust out ping pong paddles. Broadcaster Josh Lewin has called the play by play of his routine chores, such as stacking soup (“a double stack of Minestrone! Double stack! We haven’t seen that one since mid-July!”). Golfer Matthias Schwab started a #StayAtHomeChallenge and posted videos of him using his clubs to drive a roll of toilet paper out the window.

Fore! Charmin coming through!

Wonder where all the TP went at your local Costco? Odds are, athletes are using them as props in social media stunt videos. A handful of tennis players swiped right for their love of toilet paper hacky sack and even kept tally of consecutive bounces off one racket.

Strange games, indeed.

The list goes on of the quirky and curious ways athletes and amateurs have passed the time waiting for LeBron James and the rest of sports to get off the bench.

The curious can catch up Sunday when ESPN brings back the “Dodgeball” inspired sports channel ESPN8: The Ocho. (That’s ESPN 2 on your cable dial). Some of the best of Jelle’s 2019 Marble Runs will be featured. So will the 2007 World Sport Stacking Championships, 2019 Death Diving World Championship, and the Stupid Robot Fighting League. Hey, it beats another day of classic games that already fill space on the DVR.

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