I know it's an old joke, but why is it called Water Polo if no horses are involved? I have never understood the name of this sport. Polo is played on a grass field with horses, a mallet and ball. Water polo is played in the water with a larger ball...no horses or mallet. It is basically soccer or hockey or team handball in the water, so why not call it water soccer, or water handball or something other than water polo?

From wikipedia:

quote:

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The rules of water polo were originally developed in the mid-nineteenth century in Great Britain by William Wilson. The modern game originated as a form of rugby football played in rivers and lakes in England and Scotland with a ball constructed of Indian rubber. This "water rugby" came to be called "water polo" based on the English pronunciation of the Balti word for ball, pulu.

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I have seen similar explanations elsewhere. So if it isn't accurate, it is a common misconception of the history of the name.

Huh. I never knew that. The history would explain why my three sports were swimming, water polo, and rugby.

BTW, the US men have been crushing it so far with a big match later today against Serbia. A win today would clinch a trip to the quarterfinals (If I'm reading the standings correctly). If they lose, they would need at least a tie against Hungary on Monday (again... I think).

Welp, looks like the US men need to get it done against Hungary. They just got stomped by Serbia.

Why does each team have a hippopotamus on their team? These women are like 2-3 times the size of their teammates

Those are the players who are always in the 2 meter zone. Kind of like a center of a basketball team. Because it's right next to goal, there's a lot of shoving and wrestling going on. Thus they're built more physically than the other teammates.

^^^
Exactly. On the mens side 2M players are usually 6'6"-6'9" and 250lb-280lb.

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^^^
Exactly. On the mens side 2M players are usually 6'6"-6'9" and 250lb-280lb.

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Err...in the US, that's true. But the American team is waayyy huger than the rest of the world. For example, Serbia's starting set is about 6'1, 200 pounds.