Mayan Ball Game

The Mayan Ball Game is a new street game derived from the Mesoamerican Ball Game played in Central America in the courts and temples of many different cultures. Now it has been modified to play on the streets of New York City.

Using a playground ball, players attempt to score points by hitting the backboard of a basketball hoop using their knees, elbows, shoulders and even heads. Luckily, human sacrifice has been removed from the post game celebration!

At the 2015 New Museum Ideas City Festival, eight cultural institutions competed for the championship. Teams fielded five to ten players, games ran about half an hour at the intensity of half-court basketball, and referees and Aesthletics announcers called the action, with half-time shows alongside and trophies for winners, participants and standout players.