Odds are that if you’re a millennial or Gen X sports fan, you have a vague memory of Slam Ball broadcasts on Spike TV in the early 2000s.
Slam Ball was a bonkers hybrid between basketball, football and hockey. It was a full contact sport that was played on a court behind glass. Basically, teams played basketball on trampolines but were able to hit opposing players like you’d see in hockey and football. It was nuts.
To an extent, Slam Ball still exists in China, but it hasn’t graced U.S. television broadcasts since 2008. So, when a highlight video of the absolutely wild game hit Twitter, sports fans were calling for Slam Ball’s return.
SlamBall might actually be the greatest sport of ALL-TIME 😈 (via @slambaIl) pic.twitter.com/Ec04diUoD9
— Overtime (@overtime) April 25, 2021
Y’all youngins don’t understand how hype Slam Ball was 🤯 pic.twitter.com/k4qWeDzqD8
— Hoop Fiends 🏀💉 (@hoopfiends) April 25, 2021
Not gonna lie, if Florentino Perez's next move is to say the European Super League is going full Slam Ball, replete with totally trampolined penalty areas… Well, we'd definitely hear him out. pic.twitter.com/P8T5qdCkQO
— MUNDIAL (@MundialMag) April 26, 2021
I remember seeing 1 game when I was a kid and loved it. Then after that I never saw another or heard about slam ball again. They need to bring this back https://t.co/KxjpDS59TV
— Gregory🛹 (@TheVersacePlug) April 26, 2021
Slam Ball was the peak of American sports pic.twitter.com/bjhtEKhNEz
— Ty B (@tyBuffalo) April 26, 2021
Bring back Slam Ball ASAP so we can bet on this madness 😂 pic.twitter.com/kVtRdaE4fT
— SportsLine (@SportsLine) April 26, 2021
There needs to be a Slam Ball league, YESTERDAY. pic.twitter.com/f6QaAYGMbj
— Dean Blundell (@ItsDeanBlundell) April 26, 2021
I still to this day don’t know how nobody died in playing slam ball. It was cool as hell but damn https://t.co/rQvind9KHZ
— master_chief_2.0 (@ChiefTwopointoh) April 26, 2021
Slam Ball needs to be back on the airwaves ASAP.
pic.twitter.com/NUt5Bv0zSp— Talking The Line (@TalkingTheLine) April 26, 2021
Wow. Show my age why don’t you. I used to love Slam Ball. 😂 https://t.co/pN0Xx25ahZ
— Anthony Antoine (@AnthonyNBC12) April 26, 2021
I never seen this before so this is why they made nba jam 🐐 this need to come back 😭 https://t.co/iWBxMnNLzd
— TRVNDZ🥀 (@Trvndz_) April 25, 2021
Come back, Slam Ball. You’re sorely missed.
https://youtu.be/DFtlwTh8aXQ