Today the professional Jai Alai player straps the cesta to his hands, without which his palm could be yanked off! The new generations of players also use a rubber ball as a core with goatskin inside. They wear safety helmets and have kneecaps to stop injuries. As betting goes on for the team to win, the players remain unemotional. No swearing, no spitting, no arguments, no referees showing yellow cards either! Except the crowds hooting and placing bets on the players, the sport moves on pure adrenalin of the spectators and the players. With the cesta for protection, Jai Alai players grab the goat-skinned ball all over the enclosed court. The cesta is akin to the glove except that it is like a scooped caned basket. It is curved in shape with a deep seat for holding the ball. The ball is as hard as the golf ball and a baseball. Why goat skinned? Because when the sport was played in early 19th century, it was made with the goatskin. The game is played in the three-walled courtyard with frontons. The players need to be extremely fast and energetic in dodging and defying the opposition. Basque the birthplace of this game still is the host to the biggest tournaments even today. Energetic farmers first played it in the barns. It later traveled to USA and Canada. The game still is played reverently and violently in Spain! The hooters in the crowd still egg the players to nearly kill each other in the enclosed glass cage. This is perhaps one of the rare and surviving ancient sports that are creating a thrill even in modern day enthusiast. The aggression is the interface of the spectators while the players hold on to their emotions on the field.


The roar of the Jai Alai crowd has not been silenced as yet. The popular 19th century sport of Madrid is now struggling to wager its own popularity in rest of the world. Negligible gambling stakes have replaced the heavy betting of the once popular game. The sport still comes alive in summer and competes with the ever-popular bullfighting in Basque. Elsewhere in the world, some teams come together hurriedly during the season. The stakes are no longer high, but the game is still being played. For those who are not yet initiated to the game, it is just as rowdy as bullfighting. By the way no woman has ever participated in this all male extravaganza as yet! In US there are two areas where Jai alai is still played the way it should be- Maimi and Dania. Much of the professionals only gather when the all night tournaments take place… also ignoring the sleazy $2 wagers for bear and burgers, which take place in the streets nearby. Will the game return to its former glory? Highly unlikely for now. No sponsors, no Olympic status, a lesser spectator sport, and its violent nature make it difficult for it to make way in mainstream sports. No children can be groomed for such a sport. It is hard on court and off court. It survives pretty much in Basque where it originated. Crowds still roar there, Venga, Venga (let’s go) and still scream in support of a favorite shot, Mucho.