Hey, if we can have esports varsity programs, I think we can have this -- and I've been training my entire life for this sport, and I never even knew it.

The Balloon World Cup. The object of the game is simple: don’t let the balloon touch the floor.

At this first-ever event, teams from around the globe battled for a cash prize in a game that we've been playing since we've been kids.

The 2021 finals involved Peru beating Alemania and featured these breathtaking highlights:

But it’s not as easy as it sounds. The ‘court’ is filled with all sorts of obstacles like sofas, chairs, fans, tables, an arcade game, lamps, a giant tube of mentor, even a CAR. The tournament even featured a play-by-play team on a live video stream.

The rules: players must hit the balloon in an upwards motion, and if it hits the ground before your opponent stops it, you get a point.

After the 32-team tournament played out, the event was won by Peru's Francesco de la Cruz, who beat Jan Spiess of Germany 6-2 in the final which was held in Barcelona.

After looking over the bracket, it appears that the team from the United States was knocked out in the first round by Cuba. Team USA was represented by two brothers from Oregon.

To just get into the 32-team final bracket, teams had to survive a round-robin style match of 6 groups, each with four teams.

The champion from Peru won 10,000 Euros – around $11,000.

Shakira and her family even made an appearance. If it's good enough for Shakira, then hell, it's good enough for me:

 

 

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