Talk:Jai alai

no — Preceding unsigned comment added by 163.153.220.161 (talk) 16:49, 30 April 2015 (UTC)

Untitled
Amateur Jai alai  Most people think that Jai alai is only to be wagered on, but nothing could be farther from the truth. There are many Amateur Jai alai projects going on around the world that are looking to promote Jai alai as a sport and not so much as a sport that you wager on. Here is one site that is working hard like others to promote it as a sport http://connecticutjaialai.ning.com Just recently a new Amateur court was opened in Connecticut (2010) that is promoting it as a sport. (Perryjaialai (talk)) —Preceding undated comment added 04:33, 5 September 2010 (UTC).

Obscurity
This article seems to mostly be about the gambling and not about the game itself. A detailed explanation of the game is warranted, if there are any players out there who want to give it a shot. Tempshill 18:24, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

As a matter of information, I've seen the basket-glove described as a chisterak. Trekphiler 04:02, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

I question the reference to fencing as a "a similary obscure sport", as fencing's widespread popularity can quite easily be attributed to the way in which the various forms of the sport have evolved from combatative swordfighting, a worldwide occurrance. Jai-Alai, however, originates from a rather specific region, and as such isn't quite comparable. In fact, the only relevant material in the 'Gambling' section is repeated in the 'Regional popularity' section, perhaps the gambling section could simply be removed? Rooneyot 19:53, 14 March 2006 (UTC)


 * I agree with Rooneyot. Fencing is certainly not "obscure". However, I lack the expertise about this game to change the paragraph about gambling to something more reasonable. Hylas 20:05, 8 April 2006 (UTC)


 * I just removed the gambling section for now. Given that it's followed by a Regional Distribution section which covers gambling in more dtail, it seemed rather obsolete. If someone who knows a bit more about the sport wants to flesh out the Gambling section, and perhaps reduce such references in the Regional Distribution section, it may help the flow of the article as a whole. Rooneyot 11:11, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

This article really needs some fleshing-out
What are the dimensions of the court? How many players are on a team? When was the game invented? How was a Basque game imported to North America? If I could answer any of these questions, I would, but I actually came to this page looking for the answers. If anyone else can do it (I'm talking to you, "Misterrick"), they really ought to. Buck 20:16, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

The Correct Pronunciation of Jai-Alai
For future reference the correct pronunciation of Jai-Alai is Hi-Lie NOT Hi-Ah-Lie! The A in Alai is silent. Obviously the people who are changing this information most likely do not follow the game of Jai-Alai on a regular basis and are misinformed on the correct pronunciation. In the future if you have any questions please post them in this talk page first and wait for an appropriate response because having to keep reverting this is becoming a geniune pain in the a**. Misterrick 09:53, 18 November 2005 (UTC)
 * I wasn't the source of the edit, and I almost reverted it as soon as I saw it. I've certainly never heard the "a" pronounced, but for what it's worth, Merriam-Webster lists it as an acceptable, though not preferred pronunciation for the word .  That's the only reason I left the edit in place.  Perhaps the best course of action is to list both pronunciations as m-w does. Dmleach 20:21, 18 November 2005 (UTC)


 * In Basque the a is certainly pronounced. The pronunciation of j can be J, French j, y, kh,...--Error 03:28, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

Whatever the correct pronunciation of the game's name might be, it ought to be supplied in the international phonetic alphabet, not in a "phonetic" approximation that will only (at best) be intelligible to speakers of American English. Since I don't know the correct pronunciation of Jai-Alai, I can't do this. Buck 20:10, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
 * When I lived in CT (back when they were still open I guess) I always heard it as Hi-Lie as if you were starting to say "highlighter" - but there is a slight skip in between the two words. &mdash; RevRagnarok  Talk Contrib 18:06, 20 July 2006 (UTC)

Remember that this article is on the English language Wikipedia web site, so the correct pronunciation of jai alai is its English pronunciation, that is, the way most native speakers of English who are familiar with the sport pronounce it, not necessarily its pronunciation in its original language. This is true of any word or name borrowed from another language. Also, there can be more than one proper pronunciation of a word. Bostoner (talk) 23:41, 24 July 2013 (UTC)


 * The Basque pronunciation given uses /x/ which isn't listed on the IPA/Basque page.Subcelestial (talk) 19:15, 13 September 2017 (UTC)

Minor changes to the edits of User:Najf
I have reverted or changed edits by User:Najf due to some inaccuracy which includes:
 * 1 There was NEVER a Jai-alai Fronton at the MGM Grand in Reno, Nevada only at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
 * 2 The Rhode Island State Legislature Abolished Jai-Alai in the entire state not just in the City of Newport.
 * 3 Removed any references to Slots at Dania Jai-Alai, Although it has been legalized in Broward County there are some legal issues being worked out before machines can be installed. Further Dania is currently undergoing an ownership change, It is being sold by The Aragon Group to Boyd Gaming Corporation who has to apply for and be approved for the Pari-Mutuel Operator, Poker Room Operator and Slots Operator licensing.
 * 4 Changed location of Orlando Jai-alai from Fern Park, Florida back to Casselberry, Florida this is per the OFFICIAL Orlando Jai-alai website which lists their physical address in Casselberry not Fern Park.
 * I stand corrected on this one issue, Apparently I wasn't paying attention while reading the official website, It does list the address as Fern Park, Florida However right below that address is the same address except it shows the city as Casselberry, Florida. Therefore I am reverting back this edit until such time as a proper address can be verified. Misterrick 03:14, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

I am sorry, but you are incorrect on these items: The MGM Reno fronton:May 3, 1978 - MGM Reno fronton opens. It operated until 1980.
 * Can you cite a source for this and I'll place it back in the article.Misterrick 16:20, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

The following sites all make mention of the fronton in Reno: And perhaps most notably, this news article from a 1978 issue of The Daily Courier, then known as The Prescott Courier: 'Biggest little city' wants more Anakin-Marc &#34;DJ AniZ&#34; Zaeger (talk) 14:29, 2 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Jai Alai Struggles To Survive
 * Jai-Alai Chronology - Significant Dates
 * Major events in Nevada gaming history
 * Jai Alai - Gambling in America

Rhode Island made it illegal to play jai-alai in the City of Newport, it did not abolish the playing elsewhere or betting on the sport. Please check

(c) Commencing July 1, 2003, the division of racing and athletics shall be prohibited to license Jai Alai in the city of Newport. Any license having been issued and in effect as of that date shall be null and void and any licensee shall be prohibited from operating thereunder; provided, however, that any entity having been issued a license to operate a Jai Alai fronton prior to July 1, 2003 shall be deemed a pari-mutuel licensee as defined in § 42-61.2-1 et seq., and a licensee as defined in § 41-11-1 et seq.your facts.


 * It was only made illegal after Newport Grand (Jai-Alai) decided to stop hosting live games anyway.  (Full articles require membership, but you can get the idea from the preview.) That's rather moot though, as it's illegal now. I didn't even get to go see a live game. :( 68.228.155.76 07:21, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Jai-Alai or Jai alai?
There are descrepencies in the content and title of the article.100110100 23:35, 16 September 2006 (UTC) I will personally vouch for the one-time existence of a Fronton in Reno, Nevada. I attended games there on my honeymoon in 1977. I wagered (and won) betting on two American friends of mine playing under the names: Neil and Andy. Too bad it closed a few years later. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.174.113.169 (talk) 02:08, 16 April 2012 (UTC)

Hopefully useful
Jai Alai is the imported US American name of the game known in Basque as saski-pilota (basket-ball, literally - though real basketball is called saskibaloia in Basque) and in Spanish as cesta-punta (basket-point, probably meanining pointed basket). For more details see: Pilota. Neither in Basque or Spanish (or French as far as I know), the term Jai-Alai is used at all, except in the name of the main ball-court of Gernika (AFAIK). It's therefore a particular name in origin, most likely. Saski-pilota is not the favorite ball game among Basques, being much prefered the handball and the solid-racket (bat?) variants that require less equipment and can be played in somewhat smaller courts. You can find a lot more info in the International Federation of Basque Ball site (history, modalities, rules, playing areas, historical figures). Betting is also traditional in Basque culture (Basques typically like to bet at anything) but the game is lived as part of the culture, not just as a show with foreign stars, like in the USA. A simmilar phenomenon to that of the USA can be found in Macao. --Sugaar 08:47, 28 October 2006 (UTC)

How many players?
Buck already asked this last year, but I don't see the answer in the article. How many players are there in a game? Two, I believe, but I'm not sure. Also, a photograph of the game being played would be very illustrative (literally). DirkvdM 06:45, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Scoop Ball
I remember having a similar toy as a kid. I dunno how you guys will react to the comparison, but I looked it up in an encyclopedia some years ago and is some senses they seem related. In Jai alai the "glove" is attached to you, but in scoopball it is something you hold on you and could possibly drop. Just FYI, but since they appear related I believe scoop ball should be mentioned.--Ben414 23:32, 30 September 2007 (UTC)

Forgive me as I am new to this. But as an ex player I can answer a few of your questions here. It is called HI-lI. There are two kinds of games. Singles in which 8 one man teams play and doubles in which 8 two men teams play. Games in the US are played to either 7 or 9 points with points doubleing after the first round of play.

Strike
What shouldn't be left out here is the Jai Alai strike which is the longest strike in sports history in the US, The impact of the strike and the Florida lotto combined to kill the sport in Tampa and Melboune. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.207.181.65 (talk) 05:30, 30 October 2007 (UTC)
 * Done. --Error (talk) 23:29, 28 February 2019 (UTC)

The previous two paragraphs are correct in their description of the number of players as well as the effect of the strike. In addition, rival frontons used to hold Tournaments of Champions which pitted the best from each fronton against each other.

As far as Scoopball, Having played amateur jai-alai for about 10 years, i would not consider it related. Trafficdodger (talk) 18:01, 8 January 2013 (UTC)trafficdodger

Trivia Section
In the trivia section, I see the following statement:
 * "Jai alai is mentioned many times in the popular comic strip, FoxTrot, by Bill Amend."

I only remember it being mentioned twice, and I don't think that qualifies as "many." --Spencer (talk) 22:28, 23 November 2007 (UTC)
 * Who is for deleting the trivia section, I find it completely pointless. The football page doesn't have references to TV shows where TV appears on screen either. Akerbeltz (talk) 16:41, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

Ok I've nixes the ghastly trivia section, it's been a month and no objections. Could I please draw it to the attention that trivia sections are meant to collect interesting but not particularly encyclopaedic facts about stuff (e.g. camels are known to swallow tennis balls) but not random appearances of item X. The football article doesn't have a list of all appearances of football in other tv shows either. Plus it was totally unreferenced. Akerbeltz (talk) 10:54, 4 November 2011 (UTC)

wikiglitch?
Why does the Tron template appear as part of the article? Marchseventh (talk) 09:35, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

Photographs and clarity
I've uploaded a couple photos to The Commons from Flickr ( and ). Maybe they can be used to clarify some parts of the article by someone who's familiar with the sport. Speaking as someone who is completely clueless and came to this article to learn, I found the description of the court slightly confusing. Marvose (talk) 13:34, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Jai Alai or Jai Lai?
can jai alai also be called jai lai or is that something else? If that is something else is there anywhere I can find information on it??--76.25.72.225 (talk) 01:59, 18 February 2009 (UTC) No,it cannot.Jai alai is the name and that is it.Thank you,Purz12. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Purz12 (talk • contribs) 23:34, 11 November 2009 (UTC)

Ball Speed
The wikipedia page on golf balls says that a golf ball now holds the world record for a ball speed in a sport at 328kph. If this can be verified it should be included for the sake of consistency.152.78.214.163 (talk) 18:29, 8 March 2009 (UTC)

NJAA
Please prove that NJAA have been proactive in introducing new youths to the sport, or I suggest that it should be included in the article that it has not yet happened. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.14.183.159 (talk) 13:21, 29 April 2009 (UTC)

Please help the jai alai community on this! The court is public, there are pleny of games played there that the NJAA has nothing to do with. Its a shame that they are mentioned in the same article as the great game of jai alai. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.194.104.5 (talk) 18:46, 5 May 2009 (UTC)

Definition
The article states that jai alai is the facility where the sport is played (as opposed to the sport itself). According to my Webster's dictionary (and the usage I have heard my entire life), jai alai refers to the sport, not the facility where the sport is played. Does anyone have any evidence to support definiing jai alai as the fronton itself rather than the sport being played in the fronton? AtxApril (talk) 00:41, 29 May 2009 (UTC)

Jai Alai Definition
In french, a jaï alaï is the facility that the sport is played in. The sport itself is called cesta punta or grand chistera. In spanish the sport is called either jai alai or cesta punta, and the court is called a fronton. In english however, the standard is to call the sport jai alai, and the the court cancha, with fronton referring to the building itself.

Irrelevant link
The link to www.fronton.ning.com was removed. How is todays largest collection of jai alai multimedia and links irrelevant to an article about jai alai? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.232.144.177 (talk) 00:07, 1 November 2009 (UTC)


 * It may have something to do with the site being a forum? Akerbeltz (talk) 09:26, 11 November 2009 (UTC)

The site contains among other things a forum, yes. If Dania Jai Alai get a guestbook, should we remove that too then? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.232.166.119 (talk) 23:20, 12 November 2009 (UTC)

I can't see why it shouldn't be there. It is a relevant link since it is a good place to get deeper knowleadge and understanding about jai alai. Almost any site nowadays has a guestbook or a forum, and that doesn't make all the other information irrelevant. I say add it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.232.207.233 (talk) 20:43, 25 November 2009 (UTC)

Mad men?
Wasn't this game mentioned in Mad Men, series three? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 219.78.87.74 (talk) 11:27, 16 February 2011 (UTC)

Semi-protect. medium level of IP vandalism. DarkfireII13 (talk) 13:16, 22 March 2011 (UTC)

Gambling?
The article implies that the frontons for jai alai can only survive if people gamble on it- is that the case? Do all sport stadia only survive by gambling? IceDragon64 (talk) 22:44, 4 July 2011 (UTC)
 * At least in the United States, jai alai is closely associated with the gambling on it -- although this article does mentions some amateur jai alai activity in the U.S. In that respect, it's similar to the position of horse racing and greyhound racing in the U.S. By contrast, some other sports are financed in completely different ways. The National Football League, for example, earns much of its revenue from the sale of television rights, and I don't think it receives any of the amount gambled on the league at all. (A significant amount of public interest in the NFL may be tied to the ability to bet on the games, but the connection between the league's success and gambling is considerably more remote than the connection between jai alai's success and gambling.) --Metropolitan90 (talk) 03:45, 2 May 2012 (UTC)

Badminton
What has the badminton-remark in the intro have to do with the price of eggs? Did they play badminton on the Jai alai field? Yotwen (talk) 07:56, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

Nothing about Argentina in the Article???
Before Argentina's independence the "frontones" exist in all the territory.

The Jai-Alai (a variant of Joko-Garbi), the Xare (also knowing as Share, a Official International Specialty, played with a "Argentine Racquet"), the Paleta Goma (Rubber/ the Official International Specialty and also called "Argentine Paleta Goma"), the Paleta Cuero (leather and also OIS)...all born in Argentina, obviously thanks to our Basques Roots (25% of the names of argentine's streets are basque words!!)...anyway, any reference in the article??--186.62.160.141 (talk) 18:07, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

Ball composition
I was reading on the internet that balls were made of limestone and covered in goathide. Rubber balls have been mentioned. The evolution of the ball composition should be mentioned. ~ender 2015-09-22 16:09:PM

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RFC: Tron reference
Hi there. Just a quick question more than anything: I see it may have come up before, but I wanted to float the question about mentioning the movie Tron (1982) in this article, because the sport Jai alai directly inspired one of the movie's most memorable sequences. In the movie, the main character Flynn battles a Program "Crom" in an arena, in which the two characters use Jai alai-like scoops to throw an energy ball back and forth, bouncing it at high speed off a ceiling panel. Each time the ball hits a platform ring, the ring disappears, and the goal of the game is to cause one's opponent to fall to their death by eliminating their platform.

This is documented as a variation on Jai alai, and as such meets a high notability bar for inclusion in the movie's article. It is, in fact, the first way many people even became aware of the sport. So it meets notability criteria for inclusion here as well, but only as a form of "In popular culture". I see that a Trivia section used to exist and was removed a while back because there wasn't very much good information in it, and I don't want to encourage more accumulation of cruft. But what do you guys think about this reference in particular? Any way to fit it into the article without sullying it?

Thanks. &mdash; KieferSkunk (talk) &mdash; 20:05, 25 September 2017 (UTC)

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Randy #44?
wtf is a "Randy #44" ? Cookiehead (talk) 21:55, 4 August 2019 (UTC)
 * I guess it is the name and number in the jersey, but I don't know how they are assigned. --Error (talk) 02:36, 27 December 2020 (UTC)

Worldwide perspective?
That subheadings is explicitly labeled as for the U.S. so it would be silly to 3xpect it to have a worldwide perspective. If you can list fontana in other countries please feel free to add them.2600:1004:B12A:6DB9:0:56:43DD:2301 (talk) 15:27, 6 September 2022 (UTC)