Volata

FernandoPerla

FernandoPerla

Volata was a sport invented in Fascist Italy at the end of the 1920s. It enjoyed a brief phase of popularity.
The sport declined and disappeared during the 1930s, due to political and sports reasons.
What do you think that would be necessary for this sport to be played nowadays, in Italy and the whole world?
 

SwampTiger

Banned
Looks like a mix between football and rugby, with American football passing/tossing balls. Thus, it would have to shoulder aside more established sports, which it failed to accomplish OTL. The origin in Fascist Italy would be another strike against it. However, it looks like a fun, fast moving game. Too bad it came so late.
 
FernandoPerla

FernandoPerla

SwampTiger said:
Looks like a mix between football and rugby, with American football passing/tossing balls. Thus, it would have to shoulder aside more established sports, which it failed to accomplish OTL. The origin in Fascist Italy would be another strike against it. However, it looks like a fun, fast moving game. Too bad it came so late.
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Do you think people wouldn't play volata, due to its fascist origin?
 

SwampTiger

Banned
Some people may be hesitant. Some may be encouraged. Most will ignore the politics for sport.

It will have more problems trying to compete with the established sports. Anything reducing viewership is a negative.
 
FernandoPerla

FernandoPerla

SwampTiger said:
Some people may be hesitant. Some may be encouraged. Most will ignore the politics for sport.

It will have more problems trying to compete with the established sports. Anything reducing viewership is a negative.
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I know this sounds weird. But, which countries do you think would be the best at volata, according to the nature of the sport?
 

SwampTiger

Banned
FernandoPerla said:
I know this sounds weird. But, which countries do you think would be the best at volata, according to the nature of the sport?
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Those with the strongest support and largest fan/player base will generally be very competitive. I would expect Italy to start well. After that, the athleticism of the players fielded will vary year to year.
 
FernandoPerla

FernandoPerla

SwampTiger said:
Those with the strongest support and largest fan/player base will generally be very competitive. I would expect Italy to start well. After that, the athleticism of the players fielded will vary year to year.
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I asked a question to the author of the largest article on volata there is online. He told me he thinks North Americans and Eastern Europeans would be the best at volata.
But I doubt Canadians and Americans would like it very much, and Eastern Europeans were already playing handball, I think. Plus, perhaps the fascist origin wouldn't allow volata to be very popular in communist countries.
 

SwampTiger

Banned
I just realized the throw into the net was surprisingly similar to water polo. Baseball and basketball players could handle the passes and scoring. Dodgeball players would also do well.
Play this in a basketball or hockey indoor arena as a cold/wet weather sport. Like Arena Football does/did.
 

Deleted member 94680

It didn't even survive competition from Rugby Football in a Fascist Dictatorship that invented it. Association Football swamped it completely to the point Italy held the 1934 World Cup. I doubt it would have the appeal to overcome Rugby and Football in countries that were even more invested in those sports already.
 
Neoteros

Neoteros

The weird thing about Volata, is that Italy already had a homegrown sport that was popular all over the peninsula, pallone col bracciale - one of the many variants of the jeu de paume that used to be quite popular in Latin Europe, from Catalonia to Wallonia - but the regime did not even try to promote the game, that had been declining already by then.
 
FernandoPerla

FernandoPerla

Would you guys make a guess and tell me in which countries would volata be the most popular, or which countries would be the best at volata?
 
SealTheRealDeal

SealTheRealDeal

Neoteros said:
The weird thing about Volata, is that Italy already had a homegrown sport that was popular all over the peninsula, pallone col bracciale - one of the many variants of the jeu de paume that used to be quite popular in Latin Europe, from Catalonia to Wallonia - but the regime did not even try to promote the game, that had been declining already by then.
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Looks like a dangerous version of tennis
 
FernandoPerla

FernandoPerla

I was thinking that perhaps the countries with the largest influx of Italian immigrants after the fascist era, would be the best at volata, or the sport would be the most popular there. Besides Italy, of course.
So, Italy, France, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil.
What do you think?
 

Ultima Ratio

FernandoPerla said:
Would you guys make a guess and tell me in which countries would volata be the most popular, or which countries would be the best at volata?
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Italy. I could see it stick and become something like Australian Rules Football, as in it wouldn't really be played outside Italy, except as a curiosity or among people of Italian descent (Little Italies across America could have fields and regular local games). If Italy somehow stays neutral in the war and retains some colonies, it could have a bigger penetration, like maybe cricket.
 

Ventriloquist

Italy also had (and still has) calcio storico fiorentino, which seems like a version of this that's a hell of a lot more violent. There's a reason why calcio survived fascism and volata didn't.
 
FernandoPerla

FernandoPerla

Ultima Ratio said:
Italy. I could see it stick and become something like Australian Rules Football, as in it wouldn't really be played outside Italy, except as a curiosity or among people of Italian descent (Little Italies across America could have fields and regular local games). If Italy somehow stays neutral in the war and retains some colonies, it could have a bigger penetration, like maybe cricket.
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What about France, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay? There are large Italian communities there.
 
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