Handball Gives us All Hope that Literally Anyone can Become an Olympian

Handball has quietly emerged as my favorite sport in this summer's Olympics. The US doesn't have a team competing this summer and it does closely resemble an intramural game, straight out of the mind of a middle school gym teacher. I don't fully understand the rules yet, but I love the non-stop, end to end, attacking nature of the sport. There doesn't seem to be any sort of defensive strategy besides a wall of players around what appears to be a crease, and pretty much every shot taken ends up in the net.

But what's most appealing about Handball is that all of the players look like you're average, everyday guy. No one seems particularly in shape, or strong, or tall, or fast. Based on my meticulous observation of the sport, I would gander to say that 90%+ of the 'athletes' are around 6 feet tall and weigh between 170-195 lbs. Hardly the measurables to compete in almost every other sport - I believe we Americans have finally discovered the ultimate average white guy sport. The Europeans have been way ahead of the curb on this one as clearly every soccer and basketball reject on the continent has adopted Handball as their sport of choice. I have ZERO doubt that me and ten (or however many people are on a handball team) of my friends could fly to Rio tomorrow and compete for at least a Bronze. We could brush up on the rules and watch a few videos on the plane ride down and be completely prepared to take to make a run at a medal. Most importantly, my discovery of Handball has reopened my eyes to the notion that maybe, just maybe, my Olympic dream isn't quite dead yet. 

For those of you not familiar with Handball, here are some awesome action pics: