With the COVID-19 pandemic leaving us all trapped inside during self-isolation and quarantine, it can be difficult to stay sane. That’s why I’m here to provide you with some sports you can do at home to stay active and keep yourself occupied with the days getting longer and longer.
Just a disclaimer before I begin — a few of these sports were made up on the fly and may be illegal and/or physically harmful depending on who you are. Please stay safe and take care of yourself and others. Now let’s get to it.
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Trash Basketball —
Trash basketball is one of the most self-explanatory games to exist for those of you stuck at home. It is also one of the easiest to play, as it requires few materials and few rules.
While you can use basically any material for the ball, I suggest crumpled up paper or paper towel wrapped in duct tape to provide more weight and to make the ball more aerodynamic.
Simply make your ball, get a trash can — preferably one without garbage — and shoot away. Another perk of this game is you can play by yourself or compete with friends and family. For a twist on the classic game, add a fan to make the game more difficult.
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Video Games —
Last week, we provided you with a few sports video games to try at home. While NCAA Football 14, Wii Sports and Rocket League are among the best sports games around, there are also plenty of other options.
For those feeling nostalgic, like myself, I would recommend MVP Baseball 2005 and Madden NFL 2004, two games that shaped my love for sports video games.
For those who enjoy new video games, I would recommend MLB The Show 20 and NBA 2K20.
Lastly, for those who want to try something new but not too difficult, I would recommend any of the Backyard Sports Series and NBA Jam.
Drinking/betting games —
Most people, especially college students, enjoy betting on sports. Or, for those who don’t have money to blow on betting, playing drinking games relating to sports.
Unfortunately, there almost no live sports in the world at this point in time, so instead we must resort to betting and playing drinking games with something else. But what?
I’ll give you two options — video games and the news.
Video games are the more obvious choice, as many people have already been showcasing video game bets on NBA 2K20 and Madden NFL 2020. Either way, you can bet with your friends on games you play or just run a simulation to add some excitement to the matchups.
The news, which can seem depressing and monotonous during these difficult times, may seem like an odd choice for betting or playing drinking games. But hear me out.
Choose a word, any word, and either bet on how many times that word will be blurted during the newscast or drink every time you hear the word. If you’re feeling risky with drinking, I challenge you to do this with either “COVID” or “coronavirus.” I guarantee you’ll be wasted by the end of an hour-long newscast.
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Beer Curling —
My favorite and probably the most creative sport I could come up with — beer curling.
So curling is a Winter Olympic sport for those of you who are unaware, and it is fairly similar to shuffleboard. If you don’t know how to play, click here to watch a tutorial.
Once you understand standard curling, beer curling is pretty self-explanatory. You just need a long table, such as the one you use for beer pong — another great game by the way — and six or eight cans of beer or another beverage of choice.
You can play individually or in teams of two, and you can play to whatever score you’d like. At the end, you can make the losers drink or you can all join in on the fun and drink together.
All of these sports and games are great to play while trapped at home, whether it be with friends, roommates or family you’re stuck with in quarantine. Just remember to keep it legal, stay safe and have lots of fun.
