The history of Sportsball.

The History of the Great Game of Sportsball

1943: The game of Sportsball is invented in Melbourne, Australia.

1945: Reginald Wyatt III goes to Australia and becomes a fan of Sportsball.

1952: Mr. Wyatt makes a generous, albeit unusual, donation of 87 ostriches to various agricultural schools in the United States with the express purpose of starting up Sportsball clubs.

1953: The Orange Oranges, sponsored by Mr. Wyatt’s HG Corporation, win the first Intermural Sportsball championships.

1958: The Orange Oranges, or O2, are refused entry into the intermural tournament after five years of victory. Allegations of doping birds with HG Corp’s early GMO crops haunt their reputation.

1962: After a lengthy legal battle, the O2 is reinstated back into the field of play. HG Corp agrees to donate GMO crops and travel money to all Sportsball teams.

1963: The first Sportsball game is played in Japan. Although mildly popular it is difficult to find space to play.

1988: A competitor leaks HG Corp research into genetically modified animals to the media. Public backlash to HG Corp results in Sportsball being banned in the United States.

1995: Oslo hosts their first Sportsball game. Spectator platforms above the action prove to be a big draw.

2005: State of Washington v HG Corp is settled; the court find modification acceptable as long as the life of the animal isn’t endangered. Cries of corruption and bribery further tarnish HG Corp reputation.

2014:  HG Corp debuts a genetically enlarged Emu to the 71st Melbourne trials. Reginald Wyatt V rides the Emu to a third place finish against the best jockeys in the world.

2018: The Secretary Bird debuts.

2026: The Rhea debuts.

2032: Animal rights activists storm a research facility and release all the test animals. HG Corp posts a fifth consecutive year with heavy losses.

2040: The year the game changed. Facing insolvency, HG Corp reveals the product of their last 14 years of research: an Ostrich named Feathers who flew with a rider on his back at that year’s Melbourne Trials. Flying birds are banned immediately – HG Corp remains solvent due to a massive influx of investment capital.

2056: HG Corp research program produces the first set of naturally born Ostriches bred for Sportsball. A young man named Flip Aimtrue receives a chick after winning a contest.

2061: Flip Aimtrue debuts in the first official international tournament that allows flying birds. Dominant on the field, Flip easily beats out 9 other teams as his teammate sits out the entirety of the tournament. Resulting media attention on his feat brings the sport international recognition.

2066: Flip Aimtrue is part of the inaugural Sportsball Hall of Fame class, along with many iconic contributors to the sport. He boasts the best win record of any jockey alive at 587 wins and 113 losses.

2068: A tragedy occurs during Flip Aimtrue’s 5th attempt for a historic 1000th victory. Two jockeys from the New York Nite Owls crash into Flip resulting in him being taken off the field. An inquest is opened after his death and the Nite Owls are disbanded.

2072: A Sportsball fan group starts up a movement to make the game as safe as possible; calling themselves the Shiroi Shoshin, they quickly reduced the accident rate in Japanese Sportsball matches to almost 5% of what they were.

2076: International and national gambling laws become regulated and open.

2080: In addition to their work on Sportsball safety, the Shiroi Shoshin also focus on bringing nations to the negotiation table and settling differences on the Sportsball field. They are internationally recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize and conventionally become known as the Shiroi Saints.

2095: The Shiroi Saints begin the process of merging the national level Sportsball leagues into one international league, furthering their mission of peace between nations.

2099: The Shiroi Saints disband having worked since the death of Flip Aimtrue to make the world, and the game, a better place. Their final statement, “May this generation, who know of peace and understanding and the generosity of spirit, carry us bravely into the next century,” inspires Kaoru Wyatt to commemorate the event by putting $38.5 trillion into the construction of the Tokyo Space Dome.

2100: The International Sportsball League officially forms. A new system of teams and matches slowly makes headway against the “old guard” of players. The first international champions under the new system are the Pink Pros.

2127: The debut year of Swift Thornebrook, a prodigy at 16 years old with the Sapphire Skyhearts, captures the imagination of the world as she achieves a coveted spot on the ISL Champion’s squad after a stunning year in which she led the league in all stats.

2134: After 7 years of stellar play, Swift is sidelined for a year after being grievously injured by another rider’s lance during a match. Public outcry spurs research into safety equipment again.

2138: The Splaytif lance is first demonstrated. Lance related accidents and injuries are reduced by 80% that year. Research turns to making the playing field more accessible.

2140: Repulsor technology augments the final touches to the newly opened Tokyo Space Dome stadium. Floating platforms are quickly added to all stadiums except historic Melbourne.

Historic Melbourne Stadium - note the lack of platforms

2142: Introduction of the Mobile Anti-Acceleration Machine, a device to recall riders safely upon being tackled. Squawk jockeys disparagingly call it the “Momma Jacket.”

2143: After 16 years of devotion to the game, Swift Thornebrook steps down as the Skyhearts’ captain and retires.

2183: After almost 100 years of bird safety research, the Time Syncing Apparatus is completed. This revolutionary machine de-syncs birds from normal time upon being tackled and re-syncs them at a stationary unit up to 10 seconds later.

2184: The “Oslo Accident” appears during the final match of the Oslo trials. The Gang of Green take advantage of the appearance of a dinosaur to win the match. Possession of the Gigantoraptor is given to HG Corp who clone several versions of it for the Gang while attempting to study what went wrong with the TSA device.

The Mighty Gigantoraptor - the infamous “Oslo Accident”

2187: Present day.