Slamball: The True Rise of the Underdog

Published in Nerve Magazine October 2011

For those that remember, Slamball needs no introduction. Way back in 2002, broadcast on the now non – existent UK channel Trouble, Slamball found its way to our screens, and smashed its way to commercial success in just a matter of years.

Yet this unique hybrid sport, which combines elements of basketball, American football and gymnastics, is only just recovering its momentum, after a 5 year hiatus and turbulent economic times threatened to destroy the game before it even began.

Created initially by Mason Gordon, who envisioned a sport that recreated a real life video game, integrating the athleticism of basketball, with the hard-hitting intensity of American Football. Consisting of a standard basketball court, with the minor addition of 4 trampolines on each end, a whole new breed was born. With the freedom of ‘full contact’, players had to out – muscle, out – jump and out manoeuvre their opponents using the trampolines to sail high above the rim for monstrous slam-dunks. Two-time Slamball champion James “Champ” Willis defines Slamball simply as “rock and roll”, capturing the essence of complete spectatorship; competiveness, physicality and jaw dropping athleticism. 

But the idea wasn’t enough. Gordon had to market his product. He managed to get acclaimed TV producer Mike Tollin on board, and with that came a wealth of opportunity in terms of coverage. Through the construction of a prototype court in Valencia, California and the recruitment of 5 showcase players, Slamball showed its worth to a host of TV executives.


With that, Slamball made its TV debut in 2002 on US channel Spike TV, and was soon complimented by a significant following across America, Italy and the UK. It even managed to get the original Coach Carter on board the coach the team Rumble. Not bad for one guy and an idea. And it appeared to pay off.

So without the multi – million dollar contracts of the NFL, or the deep player pool of the NBA, Slamball began to develop, under the scrutinous media spotlight never before seen with a sport so young.

With high ratings on Spike TV and millions of people tuning in to the Slamball Championship Game on CBS Sports, everything was going perfectly. Prior to the launch of the 2nd season, the league saw 20,000 applications from prospective players, as well as 2 additional teams and a new court built. The exposed TV saturation had paid dividends for Gordon, as coverage spread everywhere for his sport, from The New York Times to Jay Leno.Yet the success wouldn’t last long. Slamball peaked too early.


It saw the glossy heights of the commercial mainstream without having the backbone that decades of development bring. After just two seasons, television distribution negotiations broke down as creators Gordon and Tollin came into disrepute over the direction of the sport. Ultimately, TV companies saw Slamball as the packaged, entertainment product reminiscent of the Harlem Globetrotters, whereas Gordon remained faithful for its prospect as a legitimate, competitive sport. And so it went underground.


Coaches and players alike went back their respective sports, and Slamball was brushed under the carpet.

It looked as if it was yet another high concept idea that lacked the realistic grounding needed to gain credibility.

However these fatalistic ideas were never enough to stop Gordon and Tollin materialising their vision. “There are no shortcuts to building something that endures.” Mason cites this throwaway line as a main inspiration for refusing to yield, and his devotion in propelling the sport back into the mainstream. He, closely alongside his team, worked tirelessly throughout a five-year hiatus to develop the sport as a credible, athletic league.


After much redefining, and a clear focus to market the sport as a professional franchise league opposed to a “made for TV” exhibition, Slamball made its return in 2008. For the first time, Slamball was distributed internationally by media outlets such as China, Spain and Italy and began its redevelopment as a professional sport.


Unfortunately, little has been publicised of the league post 2008, as the economic downturn derailed much of Slamball’s process. Niche sport sponsorship wilted, and with that Slamball suffered, yet the game continues to grow under the persistent leadership of Gordon and Tollin.


As with any developing sport, it needs the time, money and participation to grow. Basketball was invented in 1891, but it wasn’t until 70 years later were 3 pointers introduced, so it’s far from the finished product. Yet Gordon has announced big plans for Slamball’s future. He claims there are television agreements in place for the new season, as well as plans to open Slamball gyms around the world to promote the sport at a grassroots level. He’s even ambitiously; some might say naively claimed Slamball aims to one day become an Olympic sport. But one step at a time.


So for all the ambition in the world, what remains to be seen is whether Slamball can shrug off the overbearing “TV showcase” persona it has accumulated from it’s intensified beginnings. Its image has obviously been revamped; as Slamball is now backed by huge sport media company IMG, with goals of authenticity and credibility fore fronted, opposed to that of instant, disposable gratification.


Turbulent times are sure to follow for Slamball, but with grand plans in place, only time will tell if they materialise. Gordon claims: “I made a decision when I came up with Slamball, that hell or high water I would see this thing through.” One thing is for sure; you wouldn’t put it past him.


Visit the Slamball website, or if you want to see what all the fuss is about, take a look at the video. 

Check out the magazine layout of this article, designed by me - http://issuu.com/tobygray/docs/slamball1

RELAYS: Looking Towards The Future

Published in Nerve Magazine in December 2011

London 2012 doesn’t just bring the world’s biggest sporting spectacle to the UK. Along with it comes numerous legacy projects such as RELAYS (Regional Educational Legacy in Arts and Youth Sport), that aim to inspire young people around the country to engage in sport. Attached to the 2012 deal to host the Olympics in London came the responsibility of establishing lasting effects after the games, and realising the potential that next summer can bring.

Situated in the South West, RELAYS works together with 11 of the regions universities, including Bournemouth, to create and organise events and festival to highlight the liberating impact of sporting activity. As a government led scheme, RELAYS looks to get youths of all ages, background and sporting experience involved in various activities tied to 2012.

Virginia Bailey, the RELAYS Schools Events Coordinator at Bournemouth University claimed that her target for the scheme was to leave a lasting legacy not only for the participants, but also for the students who volunteer.

“I hope that for those involved when they leave BU and are looking for employment, their time with RELAYS has a positive impact in helping them get the job they want.”

Virginia, who’s role within RELAYS is to give students the opportunity to get involved with volunteering at sport festivals and events across the region, said it was imperative that the scheme doesn’t end after 2012.

“It’s massively important to ensure RELAYS isn’t just a government condition, but actually a huge opportunity to boost sporting involvement, both for students and kids.”

When it was announced in 2005 that London was to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games, Virginia claimed it was “my mission to make sure I was going to be part of the greatest sporting event in the world, and RELAYS has facilitated that for me.”

Not only do I get to work on an exciting and rewarding project which is part of the South Wests 2012 legacy, I am also very fortunate to work with an amazing team of RELAYS staff and volunteers.”

One of those 4000 RELAYS volunteers is BU student Adam Doherty, who involves himself with the coaching of children locally as well as recruiting new members. As a main facet of the scheme is to organise sporting festivals and events for regional schools, Adam claimed this was the most empowering reason for his involvement.

“After coaching them for an hour, they begin to understand the game and want to do it again. That's what it's all about and the reason why I do it, and if it wasn't for Relays I would never have had the opportunity.”

Adam, who felt an obligation to volunteer due to the opportunities he had been given as a kid to get involved in sport, said that the values behind the Olympics are great promoter for getting kids involved. Values of respect (fair play, healthiness) excellence (competitiveness, participation) and friendship all contribute greatly to help build a sense of love towards sport.

With over 200 events held already and nearly 70,000 young people engaged, RELAYS continues to grow in the build up to next year. Yet the individual affects on local schools is the most rewarding according to Virginia.

“One particular school saw a huge improvement in the number of girls taking part in PE after running a street sports and arts festival called "Urbanise". The school where struggling to engage with the girls during PE but after trying out free running, street dance and street soccer, a number of clubs where set up which saw a much improved attendance from what they had before.”

Yet RELAYS isn’t purely about getting youths involved in sports; it’s about improving the confidence and involvement of kids in all manner of activities. As well as this, it has facilitated a number of opportunities for volunteers, as members of the crew are now undertaking placements abroad to improve their coaching and leadership skills.

If your interested in getting involved with RELAYS and leaving a lasting impact of the London 2012, then contact  Virginia Bailey at vbailey@bournemouth.ac.uk or visit http://www.universitiessouthwest.ac.uk/Relays.aspx for more information. 


Check out the magazine layout of this article, designed by me - http://issuu.com/tobygray/docs/relays

Futsal Flare Heats Up BU

Published in Nerve Magazine in October 2011.

With a new varsity season well under way and teams forming for the upcoming year, one sport that hasn’t got the recognition it deserves in recent years is futsal. The BU men’s team have reached the national finals for the past 2 years, and with new head coach Luke Williams and ex - England international taking over reigns for the season, the finals are in sight again.

Luke, a graduate from BU and captain of the varsity futsal team in 2009 said that although he had to wait to see the calibre of the players he was inheriting the “target is always to reach the national finals.”

BU will compete in the BUCS Premier League Western, alongside the likes of; Plymouth, Hartpury, Bath and Gloucestershire and whilst Bath always produce strong varsity teams, Luke claimed you never know where supremacy will lie.

“It’s the same with any varsity sport, year on year everything changes. It depends on what players you keep, what squad you inherit, if you get some good new players come in then you can compete, but it varies every season.”

As for the league season, which kicked off on the 26th October, Luke said the team will play 5 or 6 league games throughout the year at annual tournaments, making each game pivotal for the side’s success, in the sense that 2 losses could ultimately end a side’s contention for the nationals.

“We have to prepare carefully, as normally the tournaments are hosted in collective arenas, with teams playing up to 2 games a tournament. BU is actually hosting one of the rounds at the University this year, so we’ll benefit from the home advantage.” 

"All the elements of a good sport player are pivotal in futsal.” 

With futsal’s South American origins, the game is played at a much higher intensity than regular 11 a side, or even 5 a side, due to its focus on creativity and ball control. With 5 players including a goal keeper, teams play indoors in tight pitch conditions, and Luke claimed that technical ability is massive to be successful in futsal:

“You need to be comfortable on and off the ball, as well as comfortable with both feet. There are no set positions as such, so you have to be tactically astute and prepared to defend as well as attack. All the elements of a good sport player are pivotal in futsal.”

Luke himself has played futsal internationally for England, and said that his transition from 5 a side football was the best decision he could have made:

“I started with 5 a side football, and was invited along to some England futsal trials. I played a few games for England so I was thrown in at the deep end and managed to go down the futsal route. I just loved the sport and have been playing ever since.”

A sport which boasts responsibility for the skills of the likes of Luis Figo and Roberto Carlos, futsal requires a much more energetic approach to football, with the focus on small, intricate play to form attacks. As well as this, the pressure of constantly having to be aware of everything around you makes the game one of high intensity.

As for his love of the sport, Luke maintained that although 11 a side is great to play; he preferred futsal for the opportunity to contribute so much more to the team:

“11 a side can be really frustrating. You could have 10 touches in 90 minutes, but in futsal you have so many touches of the ball that you’re constantly involved in the high intensity of the game.”

This is obviously an increasingly popular view with players looking for new challenges, as BUCS University futsal leagues are growing in numbers ever year, with more and more participating universities signing up for futsal. Yet although at a Varsity level the sport is growing, Luke said that internationally, England are still in the “developmental stage” and need much more work to challenge the world’s best teams.

“Your top futsal sides are the likes of Spain, Italy, and South American teams from which the game originated. England are a long way down the rankings at the moment at 89th, but they are building up.”

So although England are a long way off producing the next string of Rivaldo’s; at a varsity level futsal continues to go from strength to strength, and the upcoming season for both BU and the UK promises to be one to watch.

The futsal season kicked off on the 26th October but training still runs Friday 8-10pm in the Sports Hall as Talbot Campus if you’re interested in playing in the upcoming season. You can keep up with the progress of both the men’s and women’s teams through the BUCS website: www.bucs.org.uk.


Check out the magazine layout of this article, designed by me - http://issuu.com/tobygray/docs/futsal