When you think of extreme sports, what comes to mind? Perhaps skydiving, parachuting, big wave surfing or even base jumping? Today's adrenalin junkies face their fair share of risks. But they pale in comparison to what some of our ancestors endured in the name of fun.
Sport back then was filled with pain, brutality and chaos. And many spectators craved violence in the way modern fans wish for overtime or penalties. An event often wasn’t even worth watching unless it ended with someone being carried off the pitch, sometimes to their grave.
One of the wildest parts is that brutal games weren't seen as barbaric. They were sacred, celebrated, and many times, a ticket to glory. To many ancient civilizations, pain was the price of honor. And any blood spilled was a symbol of devotion, power or divinity.
Bored Panda has put together an epic list of some of the most hectic, ancient extreme sports, for you to scroll through before the next big league match. We also explore why some people are drawn to dangerous sports. You'll find that info between the images.
#1 A Sacrificial Game From The Mayans
The Mesoamerican ballgame, originating with the Olmecs over 3,500 years ago, was a high-stakes sport with deep religious meaning. Players on I-shaped stone courts would strike a solid, heavy rubber ball, sometimes weighing up to nine pounds, using only their hips, thighs, or forearms. While the exact rules are not fully known, a later version of the game involved getting the ball through a high stone hoop, which would result in an automatic win. This was more than just a game; it was a ritual performance that could be used to resolve conflicts and, in some cases, ended with the sacrifice of the losing team to the gods.
Image credits: Kare Thor Olsen
The world could be divided into two distinct groups of people: the risk-takers and those who prefer to play it safe. The first group is a lot bigger than you might think.
According to Business Insider, an estimated 490 million people take part in extreme sports globally. Things like base jumping, free solo climbing, big wave surfing and downhill mountain biking, have gained mainstream popularity in recent years.
While it was once believed that participation in such sports purely had to do with thrill-seeking or adrenalin addiction, it appears there's a lot more at play...
#2 Mongolian Wrestling
As one of Mongolia's "Three Manly Arts," the traditional wrestling style of Bökh is a pure test of strength where there are no weight classes, so a small competitor could be matched against a massive opponent. The goal is simple: force any part of your rival's upper body, knee, or elbow to touch the ground. Clad in a distinct open-chested vest and briefs, wrestlers perform a ritual "eagle dance" before grappling in matches that have no time limits and end only when one man is brought down.
Image credits: hu:Burumbátor
#3 Ancient Minoans Passed Their Time On Bulls
On the ancient island of Crete, the Minoans revered bulls not by fighting them, but by vaulting over them in a perilous sport known as bull leaping. This acrobatic ritual required athletes to grab a charging bull by its horns, use its momentum to flip onto its back, and then dismount with a final somersault. Unlike later bull sports, the goal was to showcase human courage and agility without harming the animal. Historians still debate whether these performers were high-status men proving their valor or a specialized class of athletes who trained for the spectacle.
Image credits: Heraklion Archaeological Museum
An article in The Conversation defines an extreme sport as one in which a mismanaged mistake or accident would result in serious injury or loss of life.
"Extreme sports are a series of sports disciplines that take place in environments where the physical demand and the level of skill reach high levels. They are characterised by a significant degree of uncertainty, whether due to speed, height, adverse environmental conditions or exposure to extreme environmental factors," explains the Universidad Europea site. "Unlike other types of sport, these activities require absolute control of the body, meticulous planning and an exhaustive knowledge of safety measures."
The university has a specialized Degree in Physical Activity Sciences and Sport where students can master the skills needed to teach or take part in extreme sports.
#4 Pasuckuakohowog Was Played By 1000 People At Once
Imagine a version of soccer where the field could be miles long and teams might have up to 1,000 players, and you have Pasuckuakohowog. This game, played by Native American tribes like the Algonquin, was a chaotic and rugged affair with very few rules. Players could kick, carry, and throw the ball toward goals that were often a half-mile apart. The intense matches were used not just for recreation but also to train warriors and settle tribal disputes, sometimes lasting for several days.
Image credits: George Catlin
#5 Fisherman Jousting Along The Nile River
Ancient Egyptian fishermen turned the Nile River into a competitive arena for a spontaneous and perilous game known as fisherman jousting. Two boats would approach each other, where the men would use their long punting poles as weapons to swipe at their rivals. The objective was simply to knock an opponent into the water, a victory that was especially dangerous since many of the fishermen never learned how to swim.
Image credits: Charles Wilkinson
#6 Gladiator Fights In Ancient Rome
Gladiator contests were the blockbuster entertainment of ancient Rome, pitting highly trained combatants, who were often slaves or prisoners, against each other in massive arenas. These weren't just chaotic brawls; fighters specialized in distinct styles, such as the Retiarius with his net and trident or the heavily armed Secutor. Gladiators were expensive investments, and a crowd-pleasing performance could earn a defeated fighter mercy and the chance to fight another day.
Image credits: Jean-Léon Gérôme
As mentioned earlier, participation in extreme sports is about more than just thrill seeking or craving adrenalin. According to The Conversation, it also fosters connection.
"Participants often describe feeling at one with nature and free from the constraints of everyday life," notes the site. "Many also find a deep sense of belonging in the extreme sports community and are driven by the desire to push their personal boundaries."
Another reason people choose to jump off bridges, surf wild waves or leap out of planes might surprise you... The outlet reveals that many use extreme sports as a tool to regulate difficult emotions. "This is particularly true for those with alexithymia, which is when people struggle to identify and express their feelings," it explains.
#7 Naumachia Was Played In Flooded Arenas
Ancient Rome's idea of grand entertainment went far beyond the Colosseum with the creation of Naumachia, massive naval battles staged in flooded arenas. First organized on a spectacular scale by Julius Caesar, these events used thousands of prisoners of war as combatants and rowers aboard real warships. They would then fight, reenacting famous historical sea battles until one side's fleet was completely sunk for the crowd's amusement.
Image credits: Lauro, Giacomo
#8 Cockfighting
With a history spanning thousands of years across multiple cultures, cockfighting turns natural rooster aggression into a brutal spectator event. The birds, specifically bred for their fighting instincts, are placed in a small ring known as a cockpit to battle. To ensure a more decisive and bloody outcome for gambling purposes, handlers often equip the roosters with sharp metal spurs, or gaffs, attached to their legs.
#9 Pasola
What looks like a mounted battle with wooden spears is actually a celebratory festival called Pasola on the Indonesian island of Sumba. This event, rooted in a local legend about a heartbroken husband, is held to honor the start of the rice planting season. The ritual combat continues until blood is spilled, a necessary sacrifice believed to satisfy the ancestors and ensure a bountiful harvest. Although in ancient times losing one's life in the game was considered a high honor, participants now use blunted spears, making the event far less dangerous.
Image credits: Fakhri Anindita
While some might think of adrenalin junkies as reckless, research shows the opposite is true.
"Participants are often highly calculated about the risks they take. They thrive on managing risk, finding excitement in navigating dangerous situations rather than avoiding them," says Odette Hornby, an expert in Sports Psychology.
#10 Pankration From Ancient Greece
In ancient Greece, Pankration was the ultimate "no-holds-barred" combat sport, essentially a wild blend of boxing and wrestling introduced to the Olympic Games in 648 BC. Competitors could punch, kick, and use grappling holds like chokes and joint locks, with the only real rules being a strict ban on biting and eye-gouging. A match only ended when one fighter surrendered (often by raising a finger to signal defeat) was knocked unconscious, or in some extreme cases, lost their life in the process.
Image credits: Daderot
#11 Jousting
More than just a theatrical display for medieval nobility, jousting was a brutal sport with very real consequences, even for kings. In 1536, King Henry VIII was unhorsed and crushed by his own armored steed, leaving him with a festering leg wound and a suspected brain injury that may have triggered his infamous paranoia and tyranny. This wasn't an isolated incident, as the "sport of kings" also proved fatal for King Henry II of France, who perished after a lance splinter pierced his eye during a tournament.
Image credits: Unknown author
#12 Bridge Battles In Venice
The famous bridges of medieval Venice served as the battlegrounds for a uniquely brutal local tradition. Rival factions of working-class men would meet on a bridge and engage in a mass brawl with the sole purpose of throwing their opponents into the canal below. These stick-and-fist fights were so vicious, resulting in everything from knocked-out teeth to crippled legs, that they were proudly staged for visiting dignitaries. The spectacle prompted visiting French King Henry III to famously remark that it was "too small to be a real war and too cruel to be a game.”
Image credits: Joseph Heintz the Younger
Hornby adds that the "drive to succeed" plays a big role in why people take part in extreme sports. Participation in extreme sport is no different from that of more traditional sport, she says. Meaning that many athletes are motivated by setting clear goals, regardless of sport they take part in.
"Goal setting boosts confidence and helps them persist through challenges," writes the expert. "Participants also often feel a strong sense of control over their activities and find a sense of community with like-minded people."
#13 Tewaarathon Was An Extreme Lacrosse Game
Known among the Haudenosaunee people as the "Creator's Game," Tewaarathon was the original, sprawling ancestor of modern lacrosse. Vast teams, sometimes numbering in the hundreds or even thousands, would compete on fields that could stretch for several miles, with games lasting for days. More than just a sport, it was a sacred ritual used to settle tribal disputes and prepare young men for combat, earning it the nickname the "little brother of war" due to its intense and often violent nature.
Image credits: George Catlin
#14 Buzkashi Is Polo But With A Goat Carcass
In Afghanistan, the national sport of buzkashi is an intense and chaotic version of polo where the ball is replaced with a goat carcass. Before the match, the animal is decapitated and its limbs are removed, creating a heavy and awkward prize for the horsemen to fight over. This game is a fierce free-for-all, with each rider battling to seize the carcass, break away from the pack, and drop it in a designated scoring circle.
Image credits: Franz Roubaud
#15 Venatio
Beyond the famous gladiator duels, Roman arenas were also home to the Venatio, a spectacular and brutal form of public entertainment. In these staged hunts, a vast array of exotic animals, sourced from the furthest corners of the empire like lions, bears, and even elephants, were pitted against armed hunters known as venatores. The event was less a fair contest and more a one sided slaughter, designed to showcase Rome's dominion over the natural world and entertain the masses with bloody carnage.
Image credits: Studio artist of Firmin Didot
#16 Viking Skin Pulling
The Vikings transformed the simple game of tug of war into a lethal contest with a version that used animal hides instead of a rope. This brutal test of strength was held over a large pit of fire. The objective was horrifyingly straightforward, as the losing team was not just defeated but was dragged directly into the flames.
Image credits: Abbey of Saint-Aubin
#17 Medieval Tournament Melee
Forget the one-on-one chivalry of jousting; the medieval melee tournament was a full-blown team brawl where two sides of armored knights clashed in a chaotic free-for-all. The primary objective was not necessarily to take a life but to capture opponents who could then be held for a profitable ransom. Even with blunted weapons, the sheer violence of the scrum meant that serious injuries and casualties were common, making it a lucrative yet perilous form of military training disguised as a sport.
Image credits: Unknown author
#18 Bare-Knuckle Boxing
Before padded gloves and timed rounds, bare-knuckle boxing reigned as a raw and grueling test of endurance. Popularized in 18th-century England, a round didn't end until a fighter was knocked to the ground, after which he had a short window to recover and continue. This unique rule set meant matches were often marathons of attrition, with some legendary bouts lasting for hours and stretching over 70 rounds, ending only when one man could no longer stand.
Image credits: George Cruickshank
#19 Dog Fighting
Rooted in illegal gambling, dog fighting is a brutal blood sport where two dogs, specifically bred and trained for aggression, are forced to battle in an enclosed pit. The animals are conditioned to fight relentlessly, often until one is severely maimed or finished off.
Image credits: Azim Azimzade
#20 Camel Wrestling
Dating back over 2,400 years to nomadic Turkic tribes, camel wrestling is a traditional spectator sport still popular in the Aegean region of Turkey. The event pits two male Tulu camels against each other, typically during mating season when their natural instinct to fight for dominance is highest. The camels use their powerful necks to push and wrestle until one is forced to retreat or fall to the ground. Victory is declared not through injury but by submission, making it a test of strength and will rather than a fight to the finish.
Image credits: unknown
#21 The Early Form Of Savate
Before it evolved into the elegant sport of French kickboxing, the early form of Savate was a gritty street-fighting method developed in the back alleys of 19th-century Paris. Its name literally means "old shoe," a nod to its most important feature: using the heavy footwear of the day to deliver brutal, low kicks. The hands were used almost exclusively for defense or open-handed slaps, as the system was designed for self-preservation, not a regulated match.
Image credits: Théophile Gautier
#22 Florentine Calcio Storico
A brutal mix of soccer, rugby, and bare-knuckle brawling, Florentine Calcio Storico is a historical sport still played today in Florence, Italy. Two teams of 27 players, clad in historical attire, face off on a sand-covered square with the simple goal of getting a ball into the opposing net. To achieve this, nearly any tactic is permitted, including punching, kicking, and wrestling, making the annual event a famously chaotic and punishing spectacle of civic pride.
Image credits: Stradanus
#23 Pelota Mixteca From Mexico
Originating from the Zapotec and Mixtec cultures of Oaxaca, Mexico, Pelota Mixteca is a high-impact ball game played with a massive, decorated glove. Players use these heavy, studded gloves, which can weigh over 10 pounds, to strike a solid rubber ball back and forth across a long, rectangular court. Similar to a netless version of tennis, the objective is to land the ball in the opposing team's territory where it cannot be returned.
Image credits: Scott Kraft
#24 Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling And Wake
Every year in Gloucestershire, England, hundreds of competitors gather at the top of the treacherously steep Cooper's Hill for the annual Cheese Rolling event. A nine-pound wheel of Double Gloucester cheese is sent tumbling down the slope, and the participants then hurl themselves down after it in a chaotic free-for-all. The first person to reach the bottom of the hill wins the cheese, though victory almost always involves an uncontrolled tumble and a significant risk of sprains, fractures, and other injuries.
Image credits: Dave Farrance
#25 Celtic Head-Hunting Games
For ancient Celtic warriors, the ultimate competitive trophy was not a medal, but the severed head of a vanquished enemy. This gruesome practice was rooted in the belief that the head contained the soul, so capturing one was a way to seize an opponent's spirit and power. These macabre prizes were often preserved, sometimes with cedar oil, and proudly displayed on saddles or over doorways as a direct measure of a warrior's prowess and status.
Image credits: unknown author
#26 Lion Hunt Of Ashurbanipal
In ancient Mesopotamia, lion hunting was less a sport and more a royal performance of power for Babylonian and Assyrian kings. This highly symbolic event was designed to showcase the ruler's strength and his divine duty to protect civilization from the forces of chaos, which the lion represented. The hunts were often carefully orchestrated affairs where lions, captured beforehand, were released into a designated park or arena, allowing the king to slay them from a chariot or on foot in a grand public spectacle.
Image credits: Carole Raddato
#27 Yabusame
Combining incredible equestrian skill with pinpoint archery, Yabusame is a traditional Japanese ritual where an archer on a galloping horse attempts to shoot three wooden targets. Dating back to the samurai era, this highly disciplined art is more of a religious ceremony performed at Shinto shrines than a competitive sport. The archer uses special turnip-shaped arrows that are designed to whistle as they fly, and successfully hitting all three targets is considered a great honor and a sign of divine favor.
Image credits: unknown author
#28 Shin Kicking From Ancient England
The English sport of shin kicking is a straightforward and brutal contest of pain tolerance with rules that are exactly what the name implies. Two competitors face each other, grab hold of their opponent's collar, and then proceed to kick each other squarely in the shins. While competitors traditionally stuff their trousers with straw for a bit of padding, the match only ends when one person gives up from the sheer agony.
Image credits: Unknown author
#29 Bullfighting
More than just a simple contest, traditional Spanish bullfighting is a highly ritualized performance divided into three distinct stages, or "tercios." In the final stage, the matador uses a small red cape, the muleta, to execute a series of artistic passes, demonstrating control and grace before attempting to dispatch the bull with a single sword thrust. A skilled performance and a clean end of the animal are rewarded by the crowd, who may petition the event's president to award the matador trophies, traditionally one or both of the bull's ears, as a sign of a triumphant display.
Image credits: Francisco Goya (1746–1828)
#30 Roman Chariot Racing Was Every Bit As Intense As ‘Ben-Hur’ Portrayed
As the premier spectator sport of the Roman Empire, chariot racing was a high-speed spectacle held in massive arenas like the Circus Maximus, where superstar drivers competed for one of four professional factions: the Reds, Whites, Blues, or Greens. These races were incredibly dangerous, involving several laps around a track at top speed, with drivers wrapping the reins around their torsos for better control of their four-horse teams. This high-risk tactic meant that spectacular and often fatal crashes were common, forcing charioteers to carry a knife to cut themselves free before being dragged to their peril.
Image credits: Jean-Léon Gérôme
#31 Viking Holmgang
When Vikings had an unresolvable dispute over honor or property, they could settle it through a Holmgang, a legally sanctioned duel. The combatants would fight on a small island or a designated hide laid on the ground, an area which they could not leave. Governed by a strict set of rules, the duel continued until one person lost their life, yielded, or sometimes just drew first blood, with the victor automatically winning the original argument in the eyes of the law.
Image credits: Johannes Flintoe
#32 Fox Tossing
A bizarre pastime popular among European aristocrats in the 17th and 18th centuries, fox tossing was a cruel form of entertainment staged in large courtyards. Teams of two people would hold a long fabric sling, and when a fox was released into the arena and ran across the sling, they would pull it taut to launch the animal high into the air. The goal was simply to achieve the greatest height, a spectacle that typically resulted in a fatal landing for the fox.
Image credits: Johann Friedrich von Flemming
#33 Bo-Taoshi From Japan
A chaotic spectacle played by cadets at Japan's National Defense Academy, Bo-taoshi is essentially a 300-person battle to topple a giant wooden pole. Each team of 150 is divided into attackers and defenders, with the defense forming a dense human scrum at the pole's base while a single "ninja" balances on top. The attackers must then storm this fortress, climbing over their opponents in a frantic effort to pull the pole down to a thirty-degree angle for the win.
Image credits: Abasaa
#34 Chovgan From Ancient Persia
The ancestor of modern polo, Chovgan, was a fast-paced and aristocratic game played in ancient Persia and Azerbaijan. Riders would charge across a field, using long wooden mallets to strike a ball through the opponent's goalposts. More than just a competition, it served as essential training for elite cavalry units and was a major social spectacle for nobles. Often accompanied by traditional music, the sport was a complete cultural event, blending athletic skill with artistic performance.
Image credits: Shah Mahmud Nishapuri
#35 Tchung-Kee A.K.A. Chunkey
The Native American game of Chunkey was a contest of precision and anticipation played on long, smoothed clay courts. One player would roll a polished, disc-shaped stone, and as it traveled, other competitors would throw their spears to predict where the stone would finally come to rest. While the game itself was far less violent than many ancient sports, the real danger lay in the high-stakes gambling that surrounded it, as it was common for players to wager all of their possessions on the outcome of a single throw.
Image credits: George Catlin (1796–1872)
#36 Alligators Wrestling In Florida
Long before it became a roadside tourist spectacle, alligator wrestling was a cultural tradition for Florida's Seminole people. This daring practice involved capturing the powerful reptiles with their bare hands, serving as both a tribal celebration and a way to secure food. The sport's shift toward public entertainment reportedly began when a visitor on the Tamiami Trail paid a Seminole man for putting on a "great show," demonstrating how the risky custom evolved into a performance.
Image credits: JamesDeMers
#37 Spartan Krypteia Played By Teenagers
The culmination of a brutal Spartan upbringing was the Krypteia, a final test that functioned as a state-sanctioned terror mission. As their final trial, select young men were sent into the countryside armed only with a dagger, tasked with secretly hunting and executing members of the helot population, Sparta's state-owned slaves. This gruesome rite of passage served a dual purpose: it was the ultimate test of a young warrior's stealth and ruthlessness while also acting as a calculated campaign of fear to control the vastly larger slave population.
Image credits: unknown author
#38 Hōlua Sledding Down The Sides Of Volcanoes
For ancient Hawaiian royalty, the ultimate extreme sport was hōlua, a form of high-speed sledding down the steep slopes of volcanoes. Competitors would ride headfirst on narrow wooden sleds, called papa hālua, down specially prepared tracks of rock and earth that could stretch for thousands of feet. More than just a dangerous competition between chiefs to display their courage, the sport was also considered a sacred practice with deep spiritual significance.
Image credits: apple.com
#39 Stick Fighting
As one of the world's most ancient and widespread martial arts, stick fighting appears in countless cultural forms, ranging from folk dance to brutal combat. In Egypt, the stylized art of Tahtib involves long staffs in a performance that emphasizes skill and grace. This contrasts sharply with the Donga stick fighting of Ethiopia's Suri people, a violent rite of passage where men engage in fierce duels to prove their manhood and win wives.
Image credits: unknown author
#40 Anastenaria
Anastenaria is a religious ritual practiced in parts of Greece and Bulgaria where participants walk barefoot across hot embers while carrying the icons of Saints Constantine and Athanasius. Adherents believe a state of spiritual ecstasy, granted by the saints, protects them from being burned. While the tradition is explained by a Christian legend about rescuing the icons from a church fire, its origins are often linked by scholars to ancient pagan firewalking rituals, possibly connected to the worship of Dionysus.
Image credits: Zigzag0858
#41 Knattleikr From Viking Times
The Vikings had their own version of a rugged ball game known as Knattleikr, played with a hard ball and a bat, often on frozen fields or ice. With very few rules, the game was notoriously brutal, allowing players to tackle, wrestle, and physically overpower opponents to gain control of the ball. These day-long matches were as much a test of endurance and combat readiness as they were a sport, and it wasn't uncommon for heated on-field disputes to escalate into serious real-world feuds.
Image credits: David Pugh
