The Question That Everybody Has Been Asking--Does The Balloon World Cup Need Enforcers?
There's going to come a time when pro balloon athletes are some of the most recognizable and admired athletes on the planet. It's the sport of the future for a reason. We're talking multimillion dollar contracts. All the fame and fortune one could ever hope for. Right now Francesco De La Cruz may just be known as "the Michael Jordan of Balloons", but it's only a matter of time before that gets reversed.
The only potential thing I see holding pro balloons back from taking over the globe is the game's ability to police itself. The game may not need pure goonery to survive. I'm not saying it needs to add fighting just for the sake of fighting. But someone out there to offer the threat of violence to deter them from playing the game like an absolute weasel? To keep everybody playing within the lines of honor and tradition? I mean you saw that clip from the final. Cheap shots galore. And it's not like the ref is going to do anything about it because he's already got his attention so focused on the balloon itself.
Wayne Gretzky would never had the opportunity to become Wayne Gretzky if it weren't for guys like Dave Semenko and Marty McSorley. Guys who were the ultimate protectors of their teammates. Opponents knew that if you even looked at Gretzky the wrong way, you were going to be force fed a few fists from those guys. If someone needs to get their face bashed in to that Volkswagen in the middle of the arena to keep the top balloon players safe out there, then so be it. That's what the game is all about.
Sidenote: I'd love to know how many Balloon World Cups USA would inevitably win if we just sent all of our best athletes there instead of to the NBA and NFL. Imagine guys like LeBron or Tyreek Hill showing up to this event. Game over.