I’m A Real Game

When just prior to the 2016 Summer Olympics I Googled the USA Olympic Team I found that the sport of Badminton wasn’t even mentioned on the Wikipedia site. It caused pause as to why the US knows so little about badminton, the second most played sport in the World.

Don’t get me wrong, badminton is popular in the US too, just not in the same way as in so many other countries around the world. Mention badminton at the office water cooler during the summer months and the response will be, “Yeah, I play badminton, in fact I played last weekend at my sister’s barbeque”. So badminton as an outdoor sport played in the backyard or at the beach is well known. Badminton as an athletic game isn’t. Why? Perhaps the adage “Out of site out of mind” applies. If you have only ever seen backyard badminton you have no appreciation for “real badminton”. The badminton that requires athletes to have verticals comparable to the best verticals in basketball or volleyball. The badminton that is defined as being one of the most aerobic of all sports. The badminton that requires cat like reflexes. Real Badminton where the top players have millions of dollars of net worth. The game where at 2012 Olympics the men’s singles final between China’s Lin Dan and Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei was the second most watched event at the Olympics only behind that of the 100 Meter final with Usain Bolt. That is the “Real Game”.

The real game is also a game for life. From age 6 to over 60 people are active in badminton. It’s one of the few games that lasts a lifetime. Most players from team sports such as Football, Basketball, and Hockey evolve into playing new sports as they get older such as Golf, Tennis and now Pickleball. A number of years ago Julius Erving aka Dr.J one of the greatest basketball players of all time was asked upon news of having a new grandson whether he would be a basketball player? His response was “No! He will be a golfer.” The response is puzzling. Here you have one of the greats in basketball and he doesn’t want his legacy to be carried forward into another generation. It evokes an immediate WHY? His response was “That’s where you end up anyway.”  

Badminton players unlike so many other sports are able to stick to their sport for life. Sure, the jump smashes don’t have the same “air time” however what is lost in the vertical is made up in “craftiness”. All the “old” players have at least one or two crazy skill shots that are good for a point or two against any team other than a world class team.

It’s the real game that is now being played at ClearOne.  

Next time you will be sipping a cool one at the water cooler and your friend mentions he played badminton you can give he a “wink” and say have you ever played “Real Badminton” and then invite him to come to ClearOne Sports where you can see real badminton played and give it a go yourself. Perhaps you may be inclined to add to Wikipedia and help the rest of the future US Olympic Watching Public get to see a game that they once were a dominate nation in.

The US has only not medaled at the Olympics’ in three sports: Ping Pong (Table Tennis), Handball and Badminton. As viewers turn in and watch the game and as networks beginning to carry the sport the US may well start educating the “water cooler aficionados” to the sport of real Badminton and ultimately producing a crop of athletes dedicated to badminton and finally bring home some medals.  

For now you can come to ClearOne and see high performance of “Real Badminton” played in person. We offer daily training and have more than a few budding stars that may well in future years bring home medals for the US.