Danball and Suburbanball

Belgian Danball, according to the official Belgian Danball Site, is "...a game played in the street with whatever you've got at hand, with a bunch of friends. You should have some pizza around, because it's fun and because it's tradition. When the pizza arrives, ask the name of the person who hands it over to you. That's important."

Danball is a kind of street hockey game, played by two teams of three players each, with a plastic, soccer-sized ball and sticks (they say that small, plastic oars make the best sticks). What makes it so noteworthy is that it is clearly and explicitly played for fun. It's informal. It's played at night. The rules, such as they are, are posted here.

Then there's Australian Suburbanball. Kind of amazing to discover how a game invented in Belgium made it's way to the opposite side of the world. On the other hand, a quick read through the rules is more than ample evidence of what happens when a light-hearted, fun-focused event gets taken seriously enough to be made into a "formal" sport. Not to denigrate the play value of the Australian version, but definitely to be instructed by the transformation of the spirit that gave birth to the game.