In 2014, a boy from Brighton Beach, Brooklyn developed a vision of a future endeavor simply by splashing around his summer pool. Fast forward to the present moment, and that vision has now become an aspiring professional sport.
Marcus Fontaine was the boy in question. During the dog days of the Brooklyn summers, he would splash around the pool of his condo complex, using a small handball to attempt and hit the pool railing with it from various distances. That pool became the very place where the sport of railball was created, and continues to be played and practiced to this day.
Fontaine was but a young boy when the sport was created, however, and began to take the idea of developing it into a professional league more seriously as he got older. Following college, I would frequently hang out with Fontaine as he would discuss his ambitions for the project, documenting his process which included reserving pools at the Brooklyn Sports Club for use, as well as renting out pools for practice using the Swimply app.
“Railball originated ten years ago in the summer of 2014,” said Fontaine, the creator of railball and now-CEO of the Ultimate Railball League. “It started off when I was splashing around in the pool, and I would keep shooting a handball that I had at the rail, pretending the rail was a basketball hoop. You can say the game was inspired by basketball which I grew up watching.”
Fontaine, indeed, grew up watching the sport of basketball, which is arguably the simplest of the four major North American sports. The premise of the game is simple: players attempt to shoot a ball into a hoop for points. It is more complicated than that, though, as various rules exist to accommodate different situations, including the method of scoring, distance from the rim, and fouls.
Fontaine took deep inspiration from the game of basketball and implemented similar features into the game of railball. The sport is complete with an entire rulebook which Fontaine has carefully crafted.
“The basic rules of railball are that the ball must make contact with the rail to score,” said Fontaine. “The scoring term is ‘Splash Break’ and each time this occurs, the scoring team is rewarded three points. The pool itself is ideally around four feet at each end, and approximately six feet deep in the center. The rails are placed at each end of the pool.”
The essence of the game is to nail the pool rail by hitting it with a specialized handball, which Fontaine has also specially crafted. The ball had to be covered with a vulcanized substance that gave the ball buoyancy, allowing it to float in water. The final iteration of the ball, which was created after multiple prototypes, was also patented by Fontaine.
“Since railball is played in a swimming pool, players must freestyle swim while dribbling the ball,” Fontaine told me regarding the style and flexibility of his sport. “The players are allowed to plant their feet on the ground when ready to shoot the ball, but cannot take more than two steps while having possession of the ball. Otherwise, it’s a travel.”
The idea of creating a sport is one that appears simple on paper, but when put into practice, sees a wide variety of challenges arise. The primary problem that comes up is organizing the infrastructure of the sport, and on a small budget, that can be extremely difficult to put together.
Fontaine has managed to maintain a positive mindset, believing that his sport can one day thrive and evolve into one practiced on a professional or semi-professional level. He has laid out the ground work, already creating patents for his various ideas, including the professional league for railball itself, which he calls the Ultimate Railball League (URL).
“In order for the game to become the way I envision it to be, I have to put it into practice,” Fontaine said. “This means scouting players, venues, et cetera. All of that costs money, and I’ve poured most of my hard-earned money into the game and everything else that compliments it. Advertising, getting the rules of the game to be official, and so forth.”
It is safe to say that Fontaine is in the trenches with his sport, routinely putting in the hard work and dedication necessary to get it off of the ground. This involves advertising his sport via posters around New York City, which consist of QR codes that lead to his webpage (an idea coined by myself).
But all sports leagues need teams, as a league is nothing without its clubs. The teams are what build the identity of the sport, as they draw fans in, forming fandoms. Fontaine has this covered as well, starting out small with two teams based in New York City: the Empire State Monarchs, and New York Dutchmen.
Scouting is also underway for a third team based in New Jersey, but the sport is currently based in New York City, where two railball clubs are already established and thriving. Though much more work needs to be done for railball to reach the level he desires, Fontaine has expressed that he is happy and satisfied with the current state and direction of the league.
“Railball is heading into the right direction as far as the word being passed around is concerned, slowly but surely gaining an audience,” he said. “I am currently making efforts to expand the league at this very moment, with more teams yet to come.”
The reality is, though, that the sport has a long way to go before it reaches a professional level. The sport can only grow with potential fans’ support, and Fontaine has created an Instagram page which they can follow to show their support and keep up with updates. Additionally, Fontaine states that a professional website and other social media accounts for the URL are coming, allowing for even more coverage.
“If anyone would like to check out railball, I highly recommend watching the content I post on Instagram @railball_,” said Fontaine. “I am in the process of building a website as well, and it will be complete soon, along with the new package deal for people wanting to tryout.”
The creation of railball speaks volumes regarding the niche field that is the creation of a sport in general. But it is important to remember that some of the world’s greatest sports leagues, including the MLB, NBA, and NHL, began as local no-name competitions that took decades to turn a profit.
This is the path that all leagues must go down, and railball is currently following it. A world, therefore, certainly exists where the URL eventually becomes a premier sports league, a household icon known by millions.
Chris K is a writer and publisher who travels America, and loves doing it. He also loves sports, video games, and pizza, and can tell you a thing or two about each. Follow him on Twitter and on Medium to be informed of new articles.
