Good Sports

In the opening years of the 19th century, before technology brought us the electronic entertainment that we enjoy today, people gathered together after dinner or on weekends and holidays and entertained themselves with conversation or sporting games. Many of these games were locale-specific, games that were created and played only by the citizens of a particular town or community.

And so it was that the town of Sperry, Pennsylvania developed a game called Bonsa Ball. Historians, with the help of descendants in the area, have deduced that this name is the inevitable mutation of the original name of the game: Bounce-A-Ball. The game was not unlike a combination of today’s handball and volleyball, although played with teams of five. The teams would stand side-by-side, separated by a line drawn in the dirt, facing the side of a local mountain (in Sperry, they used Mt. Elena). One team would throw a padded ball, roughly 7” in diameter, toward the mountain in such a way that it would rebound toward the other team, who would then use their hands or fists to repel the ball back to the mountain, to rebound to the first team. The game play would go thus until a team failed to return the ball. At this time they would be penalized by one “pin” (sticks were driven upright into the ground to represent these pins)--the first team to have 12 pins, or sticks, was declared the loser.

The game was a very popular after-dinner pastime, particularly in the spring and fall. So much so that the town soon voted to form two official teams, so that they could schedule regular games. Much excitement followed this vote, and potential team captains campaigned to be selected; following their selection came the town meeting, during which two official Bonsa Ball teams were created. Phillip Headley and Robert Johnson were team captains, and they chose their team members carefully.

They met at the base of Mt. Elena on a sunny Saturday in May of 1803. Johnson’s team won the right to throw the first ball. Johnson chose his strongest man to throw the ball, hoping that he could throw with such force that Headley’s team would be unable to return it. The ball was hurled toward the mountain.

It had been a cold winter, followed by an uncommonly dry spring. The mountain held considerably less water than was usual for that time; the ground was dry dirt and loose rock.

The ball happened to hit the mountain with great force at a point where there was a large air pocket caused by the excessively dry soil. As it entered the air pocket, the dirt above began to cascade downward, carrying with it chunks of rock and shale. The players stood rooted, watching in surprise, and then panic, as the side of the mountain descended upon them. Amazingly, all of the dirt and rock fell on Johnson’s side of the line, burying the entire team; there were no survivors.

Sperry was a town used to hardship and unusually philosophical about acts of nature. Headley’s team was declared the winner, and everyone went home early that night.

For years to come, whenever something was won without any opposition, the winner was said to have won “by a landslide.” And the expression has remained, although its gruesome origin was until now lost in time.