Why Are Field Hockey Sticks So Short?

My wife and I were in a restaurant bar enjoying some Italian food when Olympic field hockey came on the television.

I love sports, but I have to admit that I’ve never watched field hockey. To be fair to myself, I’ll also add that I don’t often have the opportunity to watch field hockey in person or on television. Because I was engrossed in talking with my wife and eating a plate of gnocchi, I didn’t really see this as the first time that I would take in a game.

Ten, Eleven. Whatever It Takes.

That plan went awry. Some drunk across the bar kept saying “Huh. Women’s field hockey. So there’s nine and the goalie. Ten players? There are ten players on a side.” At first, I took it as a rhetorical question. After the eighth time he asked, it became clear that he was looking for an answer. I looked at the television to do a head count. Unfortunately, the players were all in motion so I just said “yup, ten”, because that’s nicer than saying “dude, stop asking me”. It turns out there are eleven players. I don’t feel guilty about misinforming that guy. Read the rest of this entry »