Two opponents stand facing each other in the ring, their eyes locking in a rigid, focused gaze. The referee states the rules of the match and the fight begins as the fans boo and cheer at every turn.
“This is the moment where sports legends are made—and there it is. The paper heard around the world; Jamie “Landshark” Langridge has done the unthinkable. Odessa, Texas, pop your collar, it’s time to party!”
These words erupted from the ESPN announcer’s lips moments before a world champion was crowned in 2007.
This “miracle” sports moment from the 2007 Rock Paper Scissors World Championships can be related to Bobby Thompson’s walk-off home run, the “shot heard around the world,” which clinched the 1951 National League pennant for the New York Giants.
That’s right, Rock Paper Scissors, the old-school childhood playground game is now a professional sport complete with a referee, boxing-type rings, official rules and all the intense fist-pumping action one could desire.
The game has hit the international stage with national leagues in nearly 20 countries, including Canada and the United States.
Much like other professional sports, RPS competitors are featured on trading cards that can be purchased on the world organization’s Web site.
You may ask yourself, is this actually real? Has this age-old game actually become an international sport?
It may be hard to believe, but the game is in fact an international sport embraced by thousands of people all over the world.
Probably even more surprising is that nearly everyone who competes in this sport is an adult, not a child, with an average age of 34.
The RPS World Championships takes place in a different city around the globe each October and is broadcast live on ESPN.
This year, competitors from around the world will throw down their skills in the ring at the World Championships during the last week of October for their shot at glory and the $50,000 grand prize.
Interested fans are encouraged to attend the event, which is said to be one of the most unique in the world.
The event takes place over a six day period and consists of a single elimination format with the 300 competitors divided into four brackets, much like college basketball’s postseason tournament.
Each year, the four best players in the world are chosen as the tournament’s No. 1 seeds. The rest of the competitors can enter after competing in their country’s respective national tournament, such as the United States National Championship, which takes place each March in Las Vegas.
It’s an event where the inner-child in all of us can come alive and send us back to the playground competitions of our youth.