"The rules have been lost to time, but the North American ball game figured prominently in the social and political life of the colonial occupying populations of the continent. The ball game had important ritual aspects, and major formal ball games were held as ritual events.
The ball game was closely linked to occupier subcultural identity. Researchers who have made compelling arguments that the game served as a way to defuse or resolve conflicts without genuine warfare, to settle disputes through a ballgame instead of a battle. Some cultures occasionally seem to have combined competitions with religious human sacrifice.
The sport was also played casually for recreation by children."
They had sports over a thousand years ago and it was just as wacky
"This concussive ritual was clearly the center of civic life. We must prevent this 'M' from reawakening and devouring the brains of our young."
