The 2015 Pan-American Games, a tournament just like the Summer Olympics, but only for the Western Hemisphere, is happening all through July. For those who get swept up in Olympic fever every four years, it’s as good a mid-summer sports fix as any. You want some sweet volleyball action? Well, Canada’s Steve Marshall brought some for you in his team’s match against Mexico on Friday, keeping play alive with his foot as he slid into the wall, as Canada somehow pulled a point out of thin air in Toronto.
I didn’t even know it was legal to kick the ball in volleyball. Why don’t people do that all the time? Wouldn’t volleyball be a lot more fun if some of the forearm bumps were converted into crazy bicycle kicks every game? Even with disappointingly low levels of airborne karate moves, volleyball is one of the best Olympic sports to get wrapped up in while channel surfing. Bodies do fly around regularly, and the pace is quick enough to keep a viewer engaged even without a rooting interest (though the USA, in case you’re interested, is still alive in both the men’s and women’s events as of Monday).
(H/t the Big Lead)
