Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/641736
photography by raUL arboLEDa/aFp/gEtty ImagEs ContaCt Sport BuBBle soccer bounces onto the national stage. by lisa pierpont The ingredients: sneakers, a soccer ball… and a couple dozen inflatable "body bubbles." It may sound like a bad reality show, but Bubble Soccer is the newest rage in (weird) competitive sports. The game? Soccer, as you know it—only that each player is encased from the waist up in a supersized inflatable ball. What started as a joke among Norwegian friends in 2011 is now legitimately credentialed— games in Boston are played under the Framingham- based New England Bubble Soccer League— and managed by the National Association of Bubble Soccer, which recently made it to the finals on Shark Tank and heads up 39 leagues nationwide. Go figure. On the field, you'll find yourself screaming "Bubble up!" and being asked "Are you blown-up enough?" League President and former pro soccer player Ronaldo Vieira says safety and proper gear are imperative, but "so is having a wildly fun time!" Games are played weekly (details are posted on social media), and private parties and tournaments can be orga- nized anytime, anywhere. An inflated sense of humor is welcome. Deflategate jokes are not. newengland bubblesoccer.com . Players encased in their plastic "bubbles" enjoy an acrobatic five-on-five game of bubble soccer in Medellín, Colombia. Bubble soccer is played in more than 20 countries and has professional leagues around the world. scene sports 50 bostoncommon-magazine.com