[LifeStyle] 20 Sports Most Americans Have Never Heard Of

[D.CraZy]

Perhaps not surprisingly, there are competitions that are extremely po[CENSORED]r elsewhere in the world, but that the typical American likely hasn’t heard of them at all. 24/7 Wall St. identified 20 of the most interesting, unusual, and regionally po[CENSORED]r of these. 

Some of these games, such as netball, handball -- not the handball you’re thinking of -- or Aussie rules football, bear many similarities to po[CENSORED]r American sports and often can trace their origins to these sports. Others on this list, such as Afghanistan’s national sport buzkashi, which is played with the headless carcass of a goat, are different altogether. 

Some of these sports, while hugely po[CENSORED]r where they are played, are niche in that they are only played in one place, and sometimes only during a single annual event. In these cases, such as the hyper-violent calcio fiorentino, the event is usually the cornerstone of a well-attended festival. Here are some of the most po[CENSORED]r carnivals from around the world.

Not all of these sports are held in professional arenas -- many are held outdoors, on sawdust,  and in muddy terrain. Others are held in official sports venues and are often locally po[CENSORED]r enough to sell out events to tens of thousands of fans. Many of these sports have some local po[CENSORED]rity in the United States, but if you want to see high-level competition for any of these sports, you'll likely need to buy a plane ticket. But these are the most po[CENSORED]r countries on the CDC's Do Not Travel list.

THE SITE