WI Rollerball were really a professional sport?

Caveat: not as brutal/bloodthirsty as that in the James Caan/John Houseman/Moses Gunn movie in 1975, but still plenty violent in its own right. I'm thinking something like Ultimate Fighting on rollerblades, combined with the smallest bikes Harley makes (can't be real hogs given the size of the arenas and banked track).

You'd probably have domed stadia along the general size of the Syracuse Carrierdome, seating perhaps 30,000. Chances are there would be a major TV contract everywhere. I would also bet that it would be about as popular as soccer-maybe even more so-in Europe and South America (can you imagine the grudge matches between, say, Berlin and Moscow, or Rio against Buenos Aires?).
 
not as brutal/bloodthirsty as that in the James Caan/John Houseman/Moses Gunn movie in 1975
Spoil sport;)

You'd probably have domed stadia along the general size of the Syracuse Carrierdome, seating perhaps 30,000. Chances are there would be a major TV contract everywhere. I would also bet that it would be about as popular as soccer-maybe even more so-in Europe and South America (can you imagine the grudge matches between, say, Berlin and Moscow, or Rio against Buenos Aires?).
Hmm... I don't know that Rollerball, even a less violent one, would be as popular as soccer in Europe etc. In the film, Rollerball is popular in part because there are no wars and society seems to be structured to reduce conflict... in effect, Rollerball is the outlet for pent up rage.

In our timeline, there are plenty of semi-violent sports that fit the bill, that don't have any stigma attached. Like boxing... or even rugby/gridiron. Even if you ignore the 'bloodsport' backlash, Rollerball would probably look a bit silly these days. By way of field test, try explaining the principle of the sport as depicted in the film to someone who has never seen it ("it's sort of a roller derby... with violence... and motorcycles") and see how they react.

To push the 'sport as social extension' point even further, would the film have been as popular if the ending hadn't been about the triumph of an individual over the game? So... in order to get Rollerball in this timeline, you need to fundamentally change society first.
 
Caveat: not as brutal/bloodthirsty as that in the James Caan/John Houseman/Moses Gunn movie in 1975, but still plenty violent in its own right. I'm thinking something like Ultimate Fighting on rollerblades, combined with the smallest bikes Harley makes (can't be real hogs given the size of the arenas and banked track).

You'd probably have domed stadia along the general size of the Syracuse Carrierdome, seating perhaps 30,000. Chances are there would be a major TV contract everywhere. I would also bet that it would be about as popular as soccer-maybe even more so-in Europe and South America (can you imagine the grudge matches between, say, Berlin and Moscow, or Rio against Buenos Aires?).
There was a remake that was something like that...it was set in the present.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rollerball_(2002_film)
 
Safer Rollerball?

Strip away the spikes on the gloves that all players seemed to have. Reduce the ball's composition to a hollowed out aluminum structure. As others said, cover over the arena to keep the ball in play. Nix the bikes. Use a suction based goal so once the player gets into the goal area he's basically made it. No goalies. Rigidly enforced behavior rules. The more bad behavior, the of one side is benched, and the others' gets to play. Perhaps even to a 2:1 ration. Personal protection ala NFL.

Comments?
 

Goldstein

Banned
The thing is that Rollerball makes little sense in the world we live in. I mean, the brutally violent, yet unnecessarily complicated thing that was shown in the 1975 thing, fitted very well with the spirit of the setting.
IOTL, there are plenty of violent disciplines (like the the MMA combats) that already serve as a scapeway for rage, if they're not as violent, while soccer is too well established in Europe and South America to be replaced, with lots of people having almost nationalist zeal to their team and the like.

To the contrary, it would fit very well in the USA, where spectacle and grandiosity seems to matter more than the actual play (Wrestling, Nascar Racing, Monster Trucks, Slamball... all those things have a marginal or null presence almost everywhere esle), but I see it as something more akin to the 2002 remake thing (that sucked, BTW): A baroque, violent exhibition manipulated for the sake of audience. Not that much of a change, anyway.
 
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