G.3 Scenarios: Kobe Bryant, Basketball, Football and Nodes in Between

When Kobe Bryant was six years old, his father, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, moved the family to Italy to begin playing professional basketball. It was during these formative years in Italy that Kobe Bryant played football and basketball. When his father retired in 1991, Bryant’s family moved back to the United States, but his passion for football remained.

As a young fan of AC Milan, Bryant had aspirations of being a professional football player; even claiming that if his family had stayed in Italy, he would have chosen professional football over professional basketball. He remarked to the Milan sports daily, La Gazzetta dello Sport, during this summer’s World Cup in South Africa:

“I love soccer since the time I was a boy. From when I lived in Italy and supported AC Milan. Dreaming one day to be Marco Van Basten, one day Diego Maradona and one day Roberto Baggio.”

Byrant has more than just a passing appreciation of football and after these many years, he still feels at home on the pitch and with the football at his feet:

The 2010 NBA season begins tonight and there have been lingering concerns about Bryant’s surgically repaired left knee throughout this offseason. If Bryant could remain relatively healthy through the upcoming season and if he could endure a rigorous football training regimen, his size and athleticism would be an ideal template for a football goalie, backline defender or a forward on set pieces.

If Bryant was in his prime, it is likely that he could have played a center forward position given his athletic and attacking style of play; a style of play that has been very successful for him on a much smaller playing field—the basketball court.

Assuming that we have a Kobe Bryant in his prime, the thought of his potential role as a defenseman (D) or forward (F) in a blended football-basketball G node or a as transitional wing playmaker (W) between football and basketball nodes is tantalizing.

As a defenseman, Bryant, who is already an elite defender in the NBA, could fit in well is as a backline defender who can quickly counter and lead an offensive attack in a defense-offense transition formation (the middle of the three different formation modules bracketed in the diagram below). Given that Bryant’s main sport requires quick bursts of offense to defense and vice versa, his transition as a defender into an offensive catalyst in the defense-offense transition formations would be a relatively easy adjustment to make.

As a forward in the defense-offense transition formation in a blended G node, Bryant could slot into the left or right wings since he possesses the requisite skill set: very good speed, length, strength, long shooting range, passing and decision-making ability, and a strong defensive presence.

As a transitional wing player linking two or more nodes (football and basketball in this example) that are not completely blended but exist in two separate forms simultaneously, Bryant could transition into and out of football and basketball in some of the following ways:

1. Shots made from specific spots on the basketball court could activate football set pieces for Bryant or another player to take during the next pause in football and basketball action.
2. Long distance shots made from specific spots on the basketball court could award the football team on the same GAME team a man advantage on the pitch for a short finite period of time; much like man advantages in ice hockey.
3. A G.3-designed field with a basketball court side by side with a football pitch would allow Bryant to concentrate on his basketball assignments while providing additional zonal marking on the pitch when he is in the corresponding basketball court-football pitch areas (by crossing over the sidelines and freely traversing into and out of the two fields of play as needed).

Elite G.3 performers must excel in multiple individual nodes while at the same time have the flexibility to excel in G nodes that link or blend two or more nodes together. Kobe Bryant may not be the young man he was half a decade ago, but his versatility, athleticism, intelligent play and competitive makeup continues to secure his status as one of the NBA’s and G.3’s elite.

THE GAME in Pictures: Rugby Union + American Football Hybrid

Cleveland Browns & New Zealand All Blacks vs. San Francisco 49’ers & Australia Wallabies

During a 2009 Hybrid GAME matchup, the New Zealand All-Blacks’ hooker Keven Mealamu (center) breaks through the first line followed closely by Cleveland Browns running back Jamal Lewis (#31) as Australia Wallabies’ fly-half/inside centre Berrick Barnes (#12) and 49’ers' linebacker Patrick Willis (#52) close in to make the tackles.

THE GAME In Pictures: A Basic GAME Formation Action Shot #2

The next image in our series of GAME action shots referencing our post on the first basic GAME formations, (module #1) power-speed formation, features Brazil National, Real Madrid midfielder and GAME SC Kaka. Using his size and pace, Kaka has broken through the first line of defenders; entering the defense’s second level. England National and Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard pursues while free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe (foreground) of the St. Louis Rams moves forward to help defend against Kaka’s penetration.

THE GAME In Pictures: A Basic GAME Formation Action Shot

Using GIMP 2.6.6 and referencing this post, I remixed photographs of Tim Tebow and Deron Williams running the basic GAME formation: (module #1) power-speed formation. The image captures the moment after Deron Williams has passed the football to Tim Tebow; allowing Tebow to cross in front of Williams and look for a playmaker on the left wing. After the exchange, Williams begins to angle hard to his right, eluding his defender and creating space to either continue the play by himself, pass to another playmaker on the wing or handoff to a ThB charging from the rear.

Blended Nodes: International Rules Football

Portions courtesy of Wikipedia

International rules football, a blended node consisting of Australian rules football and Gaelic football, was created to facilitate international representative matches between Australian rules football players and Gaelic football players. International rules football is one of the few team sports without any dedicated clubs or leagues and is usually contested by men’s, women’s and junior teams in tournaments and test matches.

A brief overview of International rules football rules as explained by Wikipedia:

“The rules are designed to provide a compromise between those of the two codes, with Gaelic football players being advantaged by the use of a round ball and a rectangular field (Australian rules uses an oval ball and field), while the Australian rules football players benefit from the opportunity to tackle between the shoulders and thighs, something banned in Gaelic football. The game also introduces the concept of the mark, from Australian rules football, with a free kick awarded for any ball caught from a kick of over 15 meters.

A player must bounce, solo or touch the ball on the ground once every 10 meters or six steps. A maximum of two bounces per possession are allowed, while players can solo the ball as often as they wish on a possession. Unlike in Gaelic football, the ball may be lifted directly off the ground, without putting a foot underneath it first. Players however cannot scoop the ball off the ground to a team-mate, nor pick up the ball if they are on their knees or on the ground. If a foul is committed, a free kick will be awarded, referees can give the fouled player advantage to play on at their discretion.

The game uses two large posts and two small posts, as in Australian rules, and a crossbar and goal net as in Gaelic football.

Points are scored as follows:

• In the goal net (a goal): 6 points, umpire waves green flag and raises both index fingers.
• Over the crossbar and between the two large posts (an over): 3 points, umpire waves red flag and raises one arm above his head.
• Between a large post and a small post (a behind): 1 point, umpire waves white flag and raises one index finger.

Scores are written so as to clarify how many of each type of score were made as well as, like Australian football, giving the total points score for each team; for example, if a team scores one goal, four overs and 10 behinds, the score is written as 1-4-10 (28), meaning one goal (six points) plus 4 overs (4 × 3 = 12 points) plus 10 behinds (10 × 1 = 10 points), for a total score of 28 points.

An international rules match lasts for 72 minutes (divided into four quarters of 18 minutes each). Inter-county Gaelic football matches go on for 70 minutes, divided into two halves, and Australian rules matches consists of four 20 minutes quarters of game time, although with the addition of stoppage time, most quarters actually last between 25 and 30 minutes.

As in Gaelic football, teams consist of fifteen players, including a goalkeeper, whereas eighteen are used in Australian rules (with no keeper).”

Semantics and Taxonomy: Nodes, Types, Games and THE GAME

People can participate in THE GAME in a myriad of ways. They can participate in one particular part of THE GAME, a node and/or GAME node (e.g. a specific sport or a specific competition); they can participate in a segment of THE GAME that consists of two or more nodes blended together (e.g. an existing hybrid sport like international rules football or chess boxing; an existing multisport like triathalon; or an entirely new blend that doesn't already exist); they can participate in a particular GAME type; or they can participate in multiple combinations of, up to the entire GAME.


Since THE GAME can consist of many competitive nodes, the outcome of a GAME would depend on the cumulative outcomes of all the associated nodes/ competitions (Games) in that GAME. A comparison would be like declaring the nation with the highest total number of medals (each medal representing an outcome of a competition node or Game) the overall winner of the Olympic Games (THE GAME).


THE GAME semantics and taxonomy would be the following:

THE GAME--the omni-competition.
GAME--a match up in THE GAME.
Game--a competition node that contributes to the outcome of a GAME or THE GAME.

The NBA's Undercover Secret

A conduit in which American football (or any other code of football, for that matter) and basketball, specifically the NBA, can flow into each other--the physical play.

Reggie Bush and David Beckham Demonstrate a "Transitional" GAME Moment

Football and American football are different sports requiring different skill sets and strategies for success. The premise for transitional GAME types is that there are multiple activities going on simultaneously. The primary purpose of this GAME type is to allow a smooth flow from one activity to another (to another, to another, etc.), therefore making THE GAME scalable and watchable. A prime example of how football and American football can transition and blend into each other in THE GAME can be found in the following videos featuring David Beckham and Reggie Bush, showing each participating in their opposite sport…

Calcio Fiorentino: The Most Brutal Sport On Earth

Courtesy of SI.com and Jeremy Kaufman of Bleacher Report

Part soccer, part rugby, part mixed martial arts, calcio fiorentino is a popular no-holds-barred game that is popular in Florence, Italy. First played in the 16th century, the sport has few rules and matches take place on a 100-by-50-meter sand pitch with goals running the width of the end zone. There are no timeouts or substitutions. It just might be the toughest and most brutal sport in the world.

There are 27 players on each side at any given time, and the objective is to score a goal; either by kicking or throwing the ball through the designated goal area. In addition, kicks to the face are forbidden. This is pretty much where the rules end.

Of the 27 players on each side, as many as ten of them are often considered brawlers. These players usually come from boxing, wrestling, and MMA backgrounds, and it is their job to essentially knock out the opponent. The brawlers from each side will usually ignore the whereabouts of the ball, and instead engage in combat with one another throughout the duration of the match.

The skill players on a calico fiorentino team generally consist of rugby and soccer players. The rugby players are typically utilized to carry the ball past the opposition, while the soccer players are there for tactical kicking and goal scoring. However, these players must avoid life-threatening attacks from the brawlers of the opposing team.

Chess Boxing

11:41 AM CDT on Monday, July 21, 2008

The Associated Press

BERLIN -- Nikolay Sazhin almost knocked out his opponent with a blow to the chin in the second round. But he had to take the queen to win the match.

In front of 1,000 cheering fans one recent Saturday night, Sazhin moved his bishop to go in for the kill and won the world championship of chess boxing, a weird hybrid sport that combines as many as five rounds of pugilism with a game of chess.

The combatants switch back and forth between boxing and chess -- repeatedly putting their gloves on and taking them off, so that they can move the pieces around the board without clumsily knocking them over -- in a sort of brains-and-brawn biathlon.

"It's the No. 1 thinking game and the No. 1 fighting game," said Iepe Rubingh, the sport's 32-year-old founder.

Rubingh's inspiration was "Cold Equator," a 1992 French comic book in which two heavyweight boxers beat each other's brains out for 12 rounds and then play a 45-hour game of chess.

"That's not functional. So I thought about how it could work," Rubingh said.

In his version, a chessboard is brought into the ring on a table and the combatants play four minutes, after which the board is wheeled off very carefully so that the pieces don't fall over. Then the fighters put on the gloves and trade punches for a round, after which the board is brought back. The pattern is repeated over and over. The chess game can last up to 24 minutes.

If you knock your opponent out, the chess is over, too, and you win the match. If you beat your opponent at chess, then the boxing is over, and you are the victor. In the case of a draw at the chessboard, the boxer with more points in the ring is declared the winner.

Rubingh uses an electronic chessboard that lets spectators watch the action projected onto a pair of large ringside screens.

In 2003, some 800 people turned out in Amsterdam to watch an exhibition match between Rubingh and a friend. "It was a catastrophe. I lost my queen in the second round of chess," he said.

But the loss didn't stop him from pursuing his dream.

The Dutchman returned to Berlin -- where he has lived for a decade -- and set out to find tough fighters who could also play a good game of chess.

Germany has emerged as a major boxing center, attracting top talent from Eastern Europe. Most of the world's top heavyweight fighters are natives of Russia and Ukraine, and many train in Hamburg.

Rubingh knows he won't be recruiting either boxers or chess players at the top of their game, but he believes there is a deep reservoir of talent among amateur and lower-ranked pro fighters with sharp, tactical minds.

One of his first prospects was Frank Stoldt, a 37-year-old Berlin riot policeman and amateur kickboxer. Stoldt was also an obsessive chess player who often lost himself in late-night online matches.

"Both disciplines are aggressive," Stoldt said. He started training at Rubingh's chess boxing gym in Berlin. In November, he won the sport's first world championship in Berlin.

He lost his belt this month to Sazhin, a 19-year-old Russian.

Sazhin learned about the sport while surfing the Internet, and tried out by mailing boxing tapes to Rubingh and playing him in online chess games. Rubingh thinks he could be the first of many chess boxers from a country that has embraced fighters and idolizes chess players like Garry Kasparov and Boris Spassky.

It was long after midnight in a Berlin warehouse when Sazhin and Stoldt entered the ring and sat down at the chessboard.

Stoldt moved quickly to establish a defensive perimeter of pawns, while Sazhin staggered his diagonally. Switching to boxing, Sazhin attacked Stoldt with a relentless series of body blows that left the German exhausted.

Back at the chessboard, Stoldt looked distracted, and he left his queen vulnerable as he scurried to protect an exposed bishop. Sazhin pounced, forcing Stoldt to concede the match.

In addition to the title and the belt, the champion won a cash prize. Rubingh would not disclose how much but said it was mostly symbolic at this point, and "it's nothing compared to professional boxing."

"To see these 120-kilogram (264-pound) guys sitting there playing chess, it's like a photo montage," said 27-year-old chess boxing fan Yarim Fahre. "The different strengths, the tactics -- it doesn't go together."

Hybrid Sports Created From Football, Rugby League

G.3 can take on an infinite number of development paths when its participants create, mix and remix nodes from the different domains. The following hybrid sports were proposed and/or created from various codes of football and rugby league before G.3 came into existence, but are examples of some specific directions G.3 can venture into:

Austus: Australian Rules Football + American Football

International Rules Football: Gaelic Football + Australian Rules Football

Universal Football: Australian Rules Football + Rugby League