The history of jai alai can be traced to the early 1900s, where it originated in the Basque region of Spain. It is played with the same passion and vigor as American baseball and basketball.
Over the years, the sport spread throughout the world and it landed squarely in the United States as a form of betting, just like horse racing, college and professional football and most other sports. If it can be bet on, it will be.
© Ricardo Hernandez | Dreamstime
A hand-held device called a Cesta is used to accelerate the ball to a high speed. Yes, that curvy looking thing that is used to both catch and return the ball to play. The speed record for a jai alai ball is 302 km/h.
The high speed makes the ball capable of causing serious injury. The audience is usually seated behind a chain-link fence to protect them.
The players, on the other hand, have no such comprehensive protection, and injuries are not uncommon.
© Ricardo Hernandez | Dreamstime
In the United States, jai alai is chiefly played in Florida, a state with a large Hispanic population. There are currently six jai alai frontons in Florida; they are located in Miami, Orlando, Dania Beach, Reddick, Jasper and Fort Pierce. These are the places to be if you want to see a match firsthand.
This is a dying sport, which could kill you and make you rich at the same time.
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