Monday 17 October 2011

Indoor Football in Low Gravity Space Colony Environments Considered

There should be no doubt that in the future humans will wish to play sports in the colonies they create off world. Indeed we know which sports humans love to play most, especially in the United States. There is baseball, soccer, hockey, basketball, and football to name a few. But let's talk about football and its future in space. Is it even a viable sport?
Will mankind built giant stadiums on other planets and moons? Over time they might, but at first they will not be able to afford to, and they will not have the manufacturing facilities on the Moon or Mars to do so. Therefore if they play inside, they will have to make the football field very small. We know here on Earth that folks play indoor football, and it is a very fast paced sport. Is that the type of football they will play in future colonies? Perhaps they will have expandable blowup habitat facilities, and play football inside.
Indeed, the first football fields will be very small, and therefore the speed of play very fast. Also consider if the colony is on the Moon or Mars, there is less gravity. The players will have more agility, and they will end up hitting each other harder, and more often. Luckily, by then there will be space-age materials which will be able to protect them with the proper pads so they don't break any bones. Remember if someone is injured in a space colony it's a much bigger deal than merely going to the hospital here on Earth.
Perhaps they can play football outside using special breathing apparatuses that are incorporated within their uniforms. If so, they can level off a small field and play there, but still realize a low gravity environment will increase the speed of play, athletes will jump higher, they will throw the ball further, and they can run much faster. An opponent who's ready to be tackled may merely leap over several players at a time. And much of the tackling may go on 15 feet above the surface. Are you beginning to imagine a picture this your mind.

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