The Dangers of Jai Alai

Football players wear padding and helmets to prevent injuries because of the amount of contact they face in every game. But in the sport jai alai, the only protection the players wear is a helmet. Why so little protecting when it is the fastest sport in the world? The speeds of the handmade balls reach up to 170 miles per hour.

Jai alai started in the Basque region of Spain in 1798 and came to America in 1904. The name, meaning "merry festival", was dubbed when the sport was introduced in Cuba. The players have a "cesta", a long, curved, basket attached to their arm. As well as a "pelota", or ball, that has two hand sown layers of goat skin. Each ball can cost of to $100 for only 20 minutes of play. When jai alai came to Florida in the United States, it became a huge gambling sport, much like horse racing. The jai alai court, "cancha", is made up of the floor between them that is in play and three walls (the front, back, and left). Because the court is only made up of three walls, it makes left handed players unable to play.

Although these jai alai players aren't facing human contact like in football, similarly to racquetball, they have to deal with 170 mile per hour balls ricocheting off of walls and coming to hit them. They also have to deal with the backswing of the other players. Sometimes when a player brings back his cesta to throw the ball, he does not see that there is a person behind him that could possibly be hit by the racquet.

Deaths due to jai alai related injuries have been recorded and many players have been forced to retire after a severe injury. Because of these factors should this sport be banned because of the high chance of severe injury? Or should officials just require the players to wear more padding and protection?