Hmmm … how to liven up having cars go round and round in circles? I’m thinking (a) have obstacles pop up, like cardboard rocks and sheriffs and baby carriages, for mucho swerving fun (b) have “pedestrian crossing” races, where a fan can win $1 million for safely crossing the track, oh, three or four times, or (c) if Read More …
Two sides have long histories of hatred? Let the aggressions out in some kind of sporting event. Slug it out in a boxing match. Play rough-and-tumble rugby. Fencing. Wrestling. Paintball. Prime minister vs. prime minister in a fierce game of foosball. Not saying this is a cure for war, but it could defuse some of the unreasonable Read More …
No, I’m not talking about burning off calories by talking. Just seems that exercise would be more fun if it had an element of socializing. Noisy machines, regimented classes, the need to grunt while weightlifting, the love of quiet in yoga … they all work against talking. So why not design routines to be compatible with conversation? First, have participants stand in Read More …
Build into each club a device that (a) senses where the flag is, (b) calculates where the clubface is actually aiming, (c) and tells aloud how much the trajectory is off. Super-deluxe version also (d) inertially monitors the swing, (e) tells you why you hooked or sliced, (f) is made of an indestructible material because, well, you know why, Read More …
Who says Jack can’t play and learn at the same time? Suppose balls and bats and hockey sticks were covered with vocabulary words. With definitions, of course. Casually, those words would work their ways into minds and conversations. Heck, maybe cover a whole playground with words, names and ideas worth learning. Those in some jokes for Read More …
It’s a dream of mine to design a miniature golf course and make it as unusual as possible. One simple but diabolical idea is to have a circular green that rotates with the hole simply in the center. Better not hit it straight toward the hole. So do aim left or right, to allow for your angular Read More …
In this league, you draft athletes not for yards or touchdowns or home runs, but for endorsement deals. Hold it every July after Forbes puts out its annual list of best-paid athletes. To make it more challenging (we all know Tiger Woods will rake in megabucks), the aim is to assemble a roster with the largest year-to-year increase. Read More …
Somehow build a mini-chair or sitting cushion into a pair of shoes. Foam blocks that dangle off the heels for squat support? Attachments on the sides swing back and Velcro together? Shoes totally unfold and refold, like wearable Transformers?
Ever want to interact with your TV? Like hit it with a shoe when your football team chokes? What if you could hit it with a virtual shoe? Or toss a virtual pie or water balloon at a crook or despicable politician? Maybe you could project a cartoon balloon, to put words in the mouths of show characters Read More …
OK, I’ve found on the Web exploding golf balls, clubs that deliberately snap, nudie tees, and bark-backed hillbilly putters. But how about these ideas? The I-Didn’t-Touch-It! putter that, at the push of a button, blasts enough air to send that one-inch gimme right into the hole. A club shaped like a foot, just for laughs, or kicks. A club Read More …
Remember the XFL? Wrestling czar Vince McMahon tried to make a go of spring football without the pro wrestling gimmicks. It flopped. Should have had (a) mad fumble-recovery like scrambles at midfield each half instead of kickoffs, and (b) mascot fights at halftime. Beaks, feet, fur, even heads go flying.
Baseball’s too slow for me. Make two strikes a strikeout, three balls a walk. That’ll force pitchers to throw strikes and batters to swing. Could shorten the game, create more tense full counts, and lengthen pitcher’s careers.
Seeing some old guy waddle to the mound in striped flannel pajamas is pretty ridiculous. And a majorly missed marketing opportunity. Put coaches in knit or other casual shirts with team logos, and fans might buy more. (You can pretty much buy anything with a team logo these days.) Theory was you needed a uniform Read More …
Par 3. Par 4. Par 5. Hmm. There are other options. Wouldn’t it be cool to have a golf course where you tee off from a mountain and watch the ball soar and bounce and bounce toward the hole a mile away? You hop in your Jeep and zoom after it. Maybe the hole’s par Read More …