Handball

Like many people every four years, I love team handball. Denmark won the men's Gold and Norway the women's Gold (with Denmark taking the bronze).*

[*] My non-sports-fan niece did a semester in Copenhagen. One day she and some friends encountered a massive crowd celebrating on the streets--turned out they were celebrating some big win by one of the teams. They had no idea why the crowd was out there but they joined the celebration anyway.

I do not understand why handball is not bigger in the United States, at least as a college sport. It fits the U.S. sports mentality--high-scoring, fast-paced, lots of running and jumping, and physical, although without the concussion risks of football and other tackling sports. (For example, it is a penalty and "suspension" to hit the goalie in the face with a shot, even accidentally). It combines elements of sports Americans already play and watch--basketball, soccer, lacrosse, baseball. It could attract good athletes from these sports with the promise of teaching the skills. For comparison, lacrosse (men's and women's) has developed a high profile at the collegiate level, including a fair number of nationally televised games. Many top programs (especially as the women's game developed) began with coaches seeking out good athletes and taking care of the rest. It seems to me the same could and should happen with handball, which involves skills (dribbling, throwing, running, jumping) that players already possess and do not require them to learn to handle a new piece of equipment.

As the host nation for the 2028 Olympics, the U.S. team automatically qualifies for the tournament. The U.S. is nowhere near ready to compete against the best international teams. But maybe a good showing will spark interest in the sport at lower domestic levels. In fact, that was USA Team Handball's plan in the mid-aughts when Chicago vied for the 2016 Games--get a team into the tournament and create interest and passion for a cool game. Maybe it can happen 12 years late.