There’s nothing I could say that this video doesn’t — but anybody reading here for very long knows that rarely slows me down. I’m no expert at how an animal feels, however, so I’ll just present my little video and go on about my day (er, um, night).
I will say that I laughed heartily more than once. At times that felt wrong, but on the last night of a work trip filled with 12-hour “shifts,” mostly it felt great.
If you do not see the player, then right-click or Apple-click or stomp your foot here to download the .wmv file, which you can play on a Mac if you have Flip4Mac (a free download that allows Quicktime to play Windows Media Player files).
The donkeys sure don’t look like they’re having ANY fun!!!
Never did like this kind of entertainment… ~shrug~
I can’t see it. :(
Those poor donkeys look like they are just there because they have to be. ” Hey Jack, this is one of the craziest things these humans have made us do… I guess if this is what it takes for us to get our next meal we’ll have to do it.” Jack: yeah well at least this pastime of theirs isn’t stealing my self esteem”.
I love the shot at the end where the dude in the blue helmet and striped shirt is hauling his donkey forward by his harness. Just awesome. In a sort of head-shaking, eyes-wide, not-quite-believing-what-I’m-seeing sort of way.
That’s something I really never expected to see. I think Amy’s donkey comments sort of sum it up.
Welcome home for the weekend, Mark!
I don’t see why this is any more degrading to the donkeys than a ride down a trail. Sure, it’s silly, but mostly folks are laughing at the asses riding the asses…not the asses themselves. So, even their self-esteem is safe (if such things concern donkeys). I mean, maybe the hard gym floor is worse for their hooves, and I’d be willing to hear that out, but other than that, I don’t get the animal cruelty aspect.
But generally, a wonderfully absurd event. Thanks for sharing.
All - Here’s my take now that I’ve had time to read everybody else’s and make sure at least somebody is on my side. Originally, I wrote a post that was almost word for word the same as… Moksha’s comment.
Should our uses of animals be judged by the relative indignity of the human activities involved? A hike into the Grand Canyon is more honorable than a silly ball game?
I do admit that I felt a pang of guilt and felt a little bad for the donkeys, but I feel that way any time I see a beast of burden that obviously would rather be doing something else.
The biggest complaint I had about donkey ball is that the donkeys are hauled up and down the roads in trailers to “perform” in these events. That is probably decidedly less enjoyable than wandering around a fenced yard waiting for the next hikers.
One more thing. The donkeys were shorn with special non-skid shoes that the announcer said did not damage the floor, but he didn’t say anything about how they felt “on hoof.”
I also have to wonder if there were any “messes” that had to be cleaned up over the course of the game…
Simon - There was one accident. A donkey pooped while taking about 12 steps (three for each foot). Celebrity poop scoopers rushed out to the court to take care of it. They were a state representative and a state senator (who just happened to be one Democrat and one Republican).
I was surprised it was the only fecal foul of the evening.
Well, this officially wins for most ridiculous thing I’ve seen today!
Donkey basketball has been around for years. Markus, they used to play it at Mountain View’s gym, which ironically, was a converted barn! It still had the loft on one side. Of course it’s long gone now.
I’m pretty sure that we also had them in Heber at the old gym too, but I’d need to get verfication on that one.
I’m surprised some of your readers were that upset. Mules and Donkeys forged much of the farmlands and virtually anything that involved moving dirt for years. I’m pretty sure that if I had to be one or the other, I would rather make a basketball court tour than pull a plow all day!
But that’s just me, and I’m not a Donkey. Although I do act like an ass pretty often.
The best one was when the guy shot and his donk bucked him off.
I’ll blast the guy at the end though. That was cheating, not in the spirit of the game, and uncalled for. Still pretty funny though….
I know..Peta probably already has me on their watch list now!