Blitzball
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Blitzball is the name of two different fictitious sports, one invented by John Knowles in his book A Separate Peace, and one featured in the games Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 (see Minigames of Final Fantasy).
In the novel A Separate Peace, blitzball is a game (named for the German blitzkrieg tactic) conceived by one of the main protagonists, Phineas, as the ultimate expression and celebration of pure athleticism. It combines a variety of traditional sports with more unconventional athletic pursuits, such as snowball fights.
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[edit] Blitzball
The name blitzball was first used to describe a fictional sport created by Phineas, one of the main characters in the novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles. The sport in Knowles's book bears no resemblance to the Final Fantasy X minigame.
A Separate Peace is filled with athletic activities, from the tree-climbing that is central to the plot to swimming, skiing, and snowball fights. For the most part, these games shed light on the character of Finny, who is a tremendous athlete but despises competition (in contrast to Gene) and imagines athletics as a realm of pure vitality and achievement, without winners and losers. He subsequently invents the game of blitzball, which requires tremendous exertion and agility yet is impossible to win and focuses on pure athleticism rather than the defeat of opponents.
[edit] Gameplay
Blitzball is played with a heavy medicine ball, in which the object is to carry the ball from one end of a field to another. In A Separate Peace the end zone was marked by the river, and the starting point marked by the tower. The Carrier of the ball (the one holding the ball) is allowed to run and hold the ball at the same time, in contrast to many other sports. The unique aspect is that there are no teams in blitzball, yet the players must work together. All other players may run and surround the Carrier, and then butt the Carrier in order to attempt to gain possession. Advesaries keep their arms crossed over their chests, and if they knock the Carrier down, they then gain possession of the ball. In order to spare himself from injury, the Carrier tosses the ball to the Adversaries. The ball may touch the ground when being passed, and is available to be grabbed at all times. Even though the Carrier may pass the ball, blitzball is a game played every man for himself, and the ex-Carrier is then expected (and allowed) to try to knock down the current Carrier (the Receiver) to regain possession.
[edit] Fouls and Illegals
The Carrier cannot be knocked down with use of arms, or with elbowing. If a Carrier is hurt in such a fashion, the ball remains in his possession. However, all play resumes where it has been left off, after all Fouls and Illegals.
[edit] Lepellier Refusal
The Carrier may wish to pass the ball to an Adversary, but the Receiver can refuse. The Receiver must plainly state this wish outloud. The Carrier regains possession of the ball, if they had thrown it. If, in the course of the field, the Carrier gets refused three times, play resumes from the starting point. The odds are always against the Carrier, as all other players are his enemies, which makes for an extremely demanding sport athletically.
