Football in Scotland : The Violent Past Of Ba’ Game

By Amlan Chaudhury
12 years Ago

Football, known as the Beautiful Game worldwide was not always beautiful. The origins of football are marred with controversies, rumors, folklores and tales of grotesque deaths. Although England has been credited with inventing the game, football started for the first time as a tribal sport in Central America. Mesoamericans were first recorded playing a game with what appears to be a primitive football. The two sides passed the ball between them using their stomach and no other part of the body. While pedantic in its nature, the same game was played by the Mayans a few years later.

The Mayans, a religious group of people took the game of football to more of a ritual. The objective of the game was to pass the ball around without using their hands and score a goal which in the present day resembles a basketball hoop. The two teams usually played for the entire day but at the end of it, the captain of the losing side was sacrificed to the gods in order to appease them. This sacrifice of blood continued till the last days of such rituals. Betting or gambling around such games were a common sight and here we find possibly the first-ever occurrence of such activities surrounding a ritual which resembles the modern-day football.

As the game passed from country to country, it was modeled and remodeled according to the locale. While the Romans used it for military training, the Japanese used it for spiritual upheaval. As the game passed towards the North, it came to Scotland and it is here we find the rather interesting and at the same time, grotesque rumored origins of the fabled Baai??i?? game.

Mythological origins of the Baai??i?? game in Scotland

Legend has it that during the first years of Viking domination in Orkney, Scotland, there were two Earls who ruled. Among them Earl Sigurd was regarded as peopleai??i??s champion and a hero whereas Maelbrigte Tusk, an opposing Earl was considered as a villain and a fiend. Tusk, popularly known as Tusker due to his protruding teeth was a nightmare for the local peasants whom he loved to torture. A fight ensued between the two Earls and after a long battle, Tusker fled south upon losing. Sigurd followed him there and after a brief skirmish, defeated him.

In order to prove to the people back home about his victory, he cut off Tuskerai??i??s head and carried it with him on his horse. On the long journey back home, Tuskerai??i??s teeth scratched Sigurdai??i??s leg and it became infected. The long journey and the cold weather made it difficult for him to return home and he managed to somehow reach the town center. Battling the infection in his leg which had now become septic, he climbed to the top of the local church and held aloft the severed head of Tusker. As local peasants gathered around, he threw the head into the crowd and breathed his last. Angered by the death of the local hero, the peasants kicked the severed head around like a football and thus started the myth of the Baai??i?? game, which is still played to this day, although not with a severed head.

Present day scenario

What started off as an expression of anger soon found its way as a sport. The Baai??i?? game, a medieval form of football is still played every year around Christmas and New Year. The game closely resembles a modern-day rugby match with almost little or no rules. The ball or Ba’ can be either kicked or carried to the goal, which is usually the north and south ends of the town. The playing area is the entire town and shops are often seen shutting down their windows in order to prevent damage. The local belief is that if the goal is scored on the north side of the town, it will bring in good harvest while if the goal is scored on the south, it will benefit their fishery business.

Although mythological in their origin, a modern-day Baai??i?? game usually draws spectators from all over the world. Safety of buildings and spectators are of paramount importance and the games these days usually see very little violence, although the total number of players playing can soar up to 350. The teams are divided based on birth as well as loyalty. People born north of the town are usually clubbed together to form the ai???Uppiesai??i??, while people born south are termed as ai???Dooniesai??i??. Although the matches usually go on till the end of daylight, a single goal decides the winner of the contest.

What happened next?

Scotland has since evolved from this medieval game to become a major-league sporting nation, although recent results suggest otherwise. Nonetheless, their influence in developing the game and helping England become what they are today cannot be denied. When Scotland first hosted England in what is now known as the first-ever international played, what the spectators witnessed was a clash of two totally different cultures of football. While the English liked to dribble the ball, Scottish players passed it around; the clash saw the triumph of the Scottish culture and ever since the importance of a pass is ingrained into every footballer.

In the early days of football, Scotland developed a healthy rivalry with England and were only defeated twice in 43 matches. Scotland did not participate in the World Cups previously due to a self-imposed exile. However, their return to the grand stage did not yield much success as they were eliminated in the first round every single time.

Categories: Around the World, Features
Tags: Football in Scotland scotland

Mythological origins of the Baai??i?? game in Scotland

Present day scenario

What happened next?

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