Awesome Sports

If you’re looking for some of the world’s most extraordinary and extreme mountain bike trails, look no further than this video from Red Bull. Along the way, MTB riders Rob Warner, Matt Jones, Ollie Wilkins, and Finn Lies will take you on a trip through six spectacular locations, from Africa to New Zealand to Colombia.

Teton Gravity Research’s fantastic adventure film takes inspiration from the Grateful Dead song of the same name. Born from the mind of filmmaker and freeskier Chris Benchetler, and co-directed by Tyler Hamlet, it’s a chill 27-minute clip, packed with improvisational skiing, snowboarding, surfing, art, and music. (Thanks Scott!)

Normally, basketballs are made from rubber. But DIYer Cammie’s Garage works in wood, so he decided to see if he could make one by turning layers of maple into a sphere instead. It didn’t take the stain perfectly, but it’s still pretty cool. He previously made a sweet wooden football.

If you’ve ever made your way up the face of a climbing wall, you know it can take time, strength, and patience to make it to the top. Or you could be Aries Susanti Rahayu, the first woman ever to climb a 15-meter wall in under 7 seconds. Don’t blink, or you might miss it.

(PG-13: Language) Not to be confused with RocketJump’s awesome clip by the same name, in this video, Olympic skier Andri Ragetti performs a choreographed sequence of balancing exercises as he freeruns his way through a Rube Goldberg-inspired obstacle course. He says it took him 232 attempts to get it right.

Official baseball merch rarely gets off the bench, but the limited-edition Los Angeles Dodgers game-used watch from Tokens & Icons sports a leather face made from a baseball used in a MLB season game. Each face has red stitching, scuffs from field action, and an authenticity number linked to the ball’s game history. Also at Sundance.

This basketball is sure to bring a smile to every player’s face, driving down the court for a dunk, or grabbing a rebound off the backboard. This Urban Outfitters‘ exclusive design from Chinatown Market features the iconic 1960s Smiley face emblazoned on a yellow B-ball. It’s also available in a 3M reflective version for night games.

Toymaker Super7 presents a series of retro-style action figures inspired by major league baseball players, including greats like Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Joe Dimaggio, Yogi Berra, and more. They even have the oddball Phillie Phanatic. Here’s hoping for more players and mascots in future.

In filmmaker Brandon Semenuk and Rupert Walker’s short action film, mountain bike riders Semenuk and Ryan “R-Dog” Howard pair up in close proximity to show off their skills and daring, while being pursued by an expertly-flown drone. Enjoy another 100 seconds of Semenuk goodness here.

Freestyle MTB rider Matt Jones shows off some epic tricks out in the forest in Red Bull’s beautifully shot short film which uses rotoscoped multiple exposures to peer into Matt’s mind as he works out and improves each maneuver. That loop de loop was totally sick.

(PG-13: Language) The Wet ‘N’ Wild water park in Palm Springs, California recently closed down. Skateboarding magazine Thrasher managed to get permission from its new owner to let a group of overgrown skate punks – including the famed Tony Hawk – to ride the pipes, ramps, and rails of the park before it gets torn down.

Think badminton is a game for wussies? You’ll rethink your position after watching this this doubles match footage as player Goh Wei Shem shows off his insanely powerful jumping smash shot. Our arms and ankles are sore just from watching this video. Basically, this guy is the Michael Jordan of the shuttlecock.

Do you have trouble connecting with the ball? Well thanks to Ping Golf and John Deere, that won’t be a problem on the putting green, thanks to this 61.5″ long, 325 lb. aluminum putter head they fabricated. It’ll be on display at the 2019 John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill, where fans can even give it a try. Action video here.

Take a trip through the exotic floating markets of Bangkok, Thailand, courtesy of Red Bull and athlete Dominik Gührs. Along the way he splashes his wakeboard past vendors and monks, and pulls off a variety of jumps, spins, rail slides, and other tricks through the narrow waterways.

“All of the danger, and none of the glory.” HBO shares this segment from Real Sports with Bryan Gumbel about cameramen who cover extreme athletes. Whether its wingsuiting, surfing, skiing, or mountain climbing, these cameramen flirt with both death and seeing someone else die.

Love to play fantasy football? Get an extra edge this year with this AI-powered platform that can help optimize your lineup, track injuries, and visualize massive amounts of player data. They also offer tools for improving your chances when it comes to sports betting.

Zumer Sport makes great gifts for sports fans, offering bags, eyeglass cases, keychains, wallets, coasters, and other items made from the actual materials used to make baseballs, basketballs, footballs, tennis balls, and more. The even make Xmas stockings.

Aluminati Boards makes skateboard decks out of recycled aircraft aluminum. Aside from a wide variety of original designs, it also offers officially-licensed decks and cruisers that rock NBA and NHL team logos in both modern and vintage styles.

During WindGames 2019, Fred Fernandez turned in an amazing and frenetic performance, set to a medley of classic Queen tunes as he flew through the air in one of those indoor skydiving facilities. Check it out from another angle here.

Technology is stretching the boundaries of sports. Innovation is normally good, but at what point does it become cheating? It’s a question that’s been asked for decades when it comes to golf balls, and the Titleist V1 Pro brought the debate back.

(PG-13: Language) NBA and broadcast legend Shaquille O’Neal dropped by Hot Ones to talk about his relationship with Kobe, learning to manage his money, understanding sports press from both sides of the fence and more, while trying to finish the hot wings challenge.

History remembers the victors. But this Netflix documentary is about the other side of sports – those who got knocked down, scored fewer points, fumbled, and lost. Losers presents eight stories of athletes who failed and how they bounced back.

In this clip from the 2016 GoPro series NHL After Dark, Philadelphia Flyers player Claude Giroux demonstrates just what it means to protect a puck, as he negotiates a stream of dozens of other hockey pucks, and other distractions without flinching. Skip to 1:50.