Thanks to this thread I'm now going through common sports and seeing what the trade off is between minimal equipment and typical rules.
Hockey's minimal version is "shinny", where you still need a puck, skates and a stick, as well as a usable ice surface which is realistically hard to come by even in cold weather areas with lakes/rivers due to the way ice freezes inconsistently. F tier.
American Football's minimal version would be two-hand touch, which is still fun and can be played with just a ball. B tier.
Rugby is similar to American Football, only the touch version doesn't really work, but hits aren't as hard so you can get away without gear. A tier.
Baseball needs a ball, bat and glove. I guess you could play some positions without a glove, but it would detract from the game. C tier.
All racquet sports need a net, ball/device, and racquet. C tier
Volleyball has some drills/games that can be done without a net, but to really "play" you need the net + ball. C tier.
Basketball needs a ball and hoop. Fairly easy to find in a city, but still a costly piece of infrastructure. F tier.
Soccer is the only S tier I can think of because you really just need a ball to get 90% of the fun from the sport (full nets give you free reign for goal height).
Rugby is similar to American Football, only the touch version doesn't really work
Touch rugby has its own leagues and championships and shit. Not sure if you're making a judgment on if it's fun or not, but I've watched enough touch games to know that it at least works as a game.
Oh cool, I was just thinking back my brief time playing organized rugby and couldn't think of a way to remove the tackling. The ability to toss the ball mid-tackle felt integral, but makes sense that people figured it out.
Thanks to this thread I'm now going through common sports and seeing what the trade off is between minimal equipment and typical rules.
Hockey's minimal version is "shinny", where you still need a puck, skates and a stick, as well as a usable ice surface which is realistically hard to come by even in cold weather areas with lakes/rivers due to the way ice freezes inconsistently. F tier.
American Football's minimal version would be two-hand touch, which is still fun and can be played with just a ball. B tier.
Rugby is similar to American Football, only the touch version doesn't really work, but hits aren't as hard so you can get away without gear. A tier.
Baseball needs a ball, bat and glove. I guess you could play some positions without a glove, but it would detract from the game. C tier.
All racquet sports need a net, ball/device, and racquet. C tier
Volleyball has some drills/games that can be done without a net, but to really "play" you need the net + ball. C tier.
Basketball needs a ball and hoop. Fairly easy to find in a city, but still a costly piece of infrastructure. F tier.
Soccer is the only S tier I can think of because you really just need a ball to get 90% of the fun from the sport (full nets give you free reign for goal height).
Touch rugby has its own leagues and championships and shit. Not sure if you're making a judgment on if it's fun or not, but I've watched enough touch games to know that it at least works as a game.
Oh cool, I was just thinking back my brief time playing organized rugby and couldn't think of a way to remove the tackling. The ability to toss the ball mid-tackle felt integral, but makes sense that people figured it out.
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