"The Ball Game" is a common sport in the Nucerian Republic and its colonia, played by mixed sex teams on any city street, requiring a leather ball of about 3-4 inches in diameter and small rackets for half of the players. The goal of the game is simple - the teams must drive the ball down the street until they cross a scoring threshold, and prevent the other team from doing the same.

Traditionally, like all Nucerian athletics, the game is played nude, however in recent times it has become accepted for women to wear a strophium and men to wear a subligaculum while playing - although in no case is it acceptable to wear footwear of any kind. Galia may of course wear whichever sportswear matches their physical features.

The game begins with the drawing of teams. First the players are formed into pairs, this is done by offering your fist to a potential partner and having them reciprocate by bumping yours with their own. Each pair must have a "husband" and a "wife", with galia filling whichever role they prefer, and the pairs are then divided into even teams. If there is an odd player, or a mismatched number of each sex, the odd player always joins the team with the youngest player, and the "extra pairs" will simply decide which among them will fill each role.

The "wives" are equipped with the rackets, while the "husbands" use their hands. The ball begins play in the hands of a chosen player - it is considered good sportsmanship to give the ball to the oldest male player present, and for them to start the round by charging straight down the middle of the road.

The game has very few fouls, the most notable being punching someone in the head or hitting them with a racket, and as a result tends to devolve into a scrum very quickly. Unarmed players will attempt to wrestle control of the ball from each other, and racket-wielding players will attempt to hit the ball down the road.

The game continues until one team can score twice in a row. A game that ends before this is considered a draw regardless of the score.