CNN
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With the NFL, the NBA, MLB and MLS, the US esports industry is a competitive market, but Mason Gordon, SlamBall founder and CEO, hopes this gladiator sport can attract fans.
First launched in 2000, SlamBall has made a name for itself through viral social media clips of crazy moves. This July, the sport returns to Las Vegas after a two-decade hiatus.
“SlamBall is all-contact basketball, four-on-four hockey-style substitutions, spontaneous movements, and all the physicality of American football or rugby,” Gordon told CNN Sport.
In this sport, there are four trampolines in front of each basket, leading to breathtaking moves that see players jumping up to 20 feet in the air.
In the early 2000s, enthusiasm for the sport got SlamBall a TV deal, but after that it fell out of the spotlight in the US, although interest on social media continued to grow.
“SlamBall is special because it’s a brand that lives on in a really strong way on social media. It’s almost become a myth among younger demographics,” Gordon recalls.
SlamBall is making its comeback for a summer league in 2023 and will return to TV screens via ESPN, hoping to attract new viewers.
Slam Ball LLC
The sport lives on through social media clips of crazy moves.
“I’ve had this recurring dream all along,” says Gordon of the origins of the sport. “Every time I fell asleep, there would be these two characters and they would come into frame, collide, and then fall out of frame.”
While Gordon was dreaming, another emerging sport, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), was beginning to make a name for itself in popular culture.
“I was blown away by the idea [of UFC] because I think a lot of people saw it as a freak show,” says Gordon.
The SlamBall founder recalls how Gerard Gordeau faced Taylor Wily in the very first UFC fight and was fascinated by the contrasting styles and combination of skills in the Octagon – fascinated by how fighters from different backgrounds came together to create a new and exciting Form of struggle to create sports entertainment.
Markus Boesch/Getty Images
Gordon was “overwhelmed” watching Gerard Gordeau (right) and Taylor Wily battle during UFC 1.
It ultimately inspired Gordon to develop his own sport.
“It was about taking the idea of this concept of banging all those team sport elements together and then combining that with the dream I had of the mid-air colliding figures.”
So Gordon grabbed a napkin, made a first sketch and SlamBall was born.
From its first home, a warehouse in east Los Angeles, the sport quickly gained popularity and soon thousands of people were flocking to watch amateurs play this new and exciting game.
Stan “Shakes” Fletcher was one of the sport’s early stars.
“We like to say he’s an alien from a planet that already had SlamBall,” Gordon laughs as he discusses Fletcher, apparently nicknamed “Shakes” because “he’s mastered all the moves.”
Fletcher was the embodiment of Gordon’s desire to link and connect sports.
“Shakes” had experience playing basketball, but also speaks of a “soccer and martial arts mentality” and was comfortable with flips while skateboarding.
Jim Heath
Stan “Shakes” Fletcher became a fan favorite with his incredible repertoire of dunks.
The fear of being hit from the air never crossed Fletcher’s mind.
“I’m trying to be where you’re not, that was the whole thing,” he tells CNN Sport. “It’s the whole martial arts mentality, man.”
Fletcher’s SlamBall season may be behind him now, but he says he will be on hand when the sport relaunches to give demonstrations and teach the next generation of players. He laughs as he explains that he may not be SlamBall’s Michael Jordan anymore, but more of a Julius “Dr. J” Erving character for the next generation of gamers.
SlamBall co-founders Gordon and Mike Tollin have been involved with some of the sport’s biggest documentaries and served as Executive Producer and Co-Chairman, respectively, at Mandalay Sports Media – the company responsible for the production of The Last Dance and The Redeem Team ” responsible for. and “The Captain”, among others.
While working on these projects, the two waited for the right time to restart SlamBall.
“We’ve assembled a group of world-class investors who really see the vision, some of the biggest names in esports, and they really see the value of it,” Gordon said of SlamBall’s return.
The pair believe 2023 could not be a better time to return, and commercial sports pundit Ben Peppi says the power of social media will be critical to SlamBall’s potential success.
“Digital will be crucial, and 20 years ago digital existed in a very different way,” explains Peppi. “Social media didn’t exist, Twitter didn’t exist, TikTok didn’t exist.”
Pat Ecclesine
With incredible dunks like George Byrd’s on Kevin Cassidy, SlamBall has huge viral potential.
Because of this accessibility, Peppi says SlamBall will be able to reach a key audience.
“There is a new target group of fans and a new younger audience that wants to watch or play new sports. So basically, it’s actually a great time to try alternative sports and get started.
“That doesn’t mean it’s not still a big challenge as it’s a very saturated market and it’s incredibly difficult. But if you do it right, you can definitely build momentum very quickly.”
The hashtag #BringBackSlamBall has garnered more than 200 million views on social media, according to ESPN, and the sport is now catering to a younger audience.
“They can really get into our short format and our half-hour TV games, and then that content can really be broken down into viral clips that can be released on a regular basis,” says Gordon.
Pat Ecclesine
Fans will be hoping for more high-flying dunks like Fletcher’s.
Eight teams are scheduled to participate in the SlamBall relaunch, which begins July 21 in Las Vegas.
“We think there’s something very special cooking here, and we’re going to find that out this summer,” says Gordon.
“There’s just no giving up in us, is there? We believe in this thing. We believe this sport has a future on a global scale and will endure over the long term.”
The success of SlamBall’s return is not guaranteed, but after years of perseverance and perseverance, those involved are confident the sport will endure.
“I don’t think that’s going to go away,” adds Fletcher.
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