Category Archives: Sports

Buber’s Basque Page, Sports Edition, Part 3: Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League

Being a somewhat older American, my appreciation for soccer (or futbol, though to be fair, soccer may have been the original term for the sport, even in England) is limited. When I lived in Donostia, I of course saw the Real Sociedad banners in all corners of the city and knew that there was an […]

Buber’s Basque Page, Sports Edition, Part 2: Surfing

Homeland is a short video produced by the Etxepare Basque Institute and Surffilmfestibal that gives a glimpse into the world of Basque surfing and surfers. Narrated in Euskara with English subtitles, it begins by introducing the Basque people and Basque culture from the perspective of the ancient traditions that many aspects of Basque culture are […]

Buber’s Basque Page, Sports Edition, Part 1: Stone Lifting

In 1987, attending my first (and everyone’s first) Jaialdi, I got my first taste of rural Basque sport. There were the aizkolaris and the sukatira, but probably the most impressive were the harrijasotzaileak, or the stone lifters. Men like Inaki Perurena were enormous celebrities in the Basque Country (after he retired, Inaki was a TV star as well, […]

Basque News Roundup

Here are some recent stories I found particularly interesting. In September, Elhuyar will publish the 300th issue of its science journal, Elhuyar Zientzia eta Teknologia. The journal was created in 1974 to promote the use of Basque in technical and scientific fields. More info here. Elhuyar is an organization named after the Basque Elhuyar brothers, who in […]

Thoughts on Longmire: Death Came in Like Thunder

On June 10th, A&E broadcast the episode of Longmire that features the crew dealing with a Basque community in Wyoming, Death Came in Like Thunder. For those who missed it but are interested in seeing it, you can catch it on A&E’s website. The plot centers around the murder of a Basque sheepherder, the grandson […]

A few links to share

Ok, so maybe this isn’t a common problem, but if you are hosting a Basque-themed party, you might be at a loss for finding those party favors and decorations that have that Basque touch to them. BSG Baiona has you covered! They have toothpicks with Basque flags, Basque flag banners, and much more. Some nice […]

My Brush with Showbiz

Last month, I (through my wife) got an odd phone call. The TV show Longmire was doing an episode that showcased Basques and, since they film the show in New Mexico, they were asking for any Basques or people of Basque descent that might be interested in participating. They contacted us because of our roles […]

Basque culture is everywhere: Jai Alai IPA

I just got back from Florida for a work trip. One night we went to a sushi place (though I’m not a fan of sushi) and, to my surprise, one of the beers on the menu was called “Jai Alai IPA“, brewed by Cigar City Brewing of Tampa. It was a good beer, not disappointing […]

Steven Skiena: Betting on Jai Alai

Holly Emblem is the editor of CasinoOnline.co.uk. They recently published an interview with Steven Skiena, author of Calculated Bets. Skiena, a Professor of Computer Science at the State University of New York, is also a fan of jai alai, a passion he picked up during a family vacation to Florida when he was a kid.  […]

Link Dump: Pelota, Picon, and Pipes

Here are a few links I’ve run across that I thought were worth sharing. Pelota is immensely popular in Euskal Herria.  Most evenings I was there, a match was being shown on the TVs of most bars.  Even though cesta punta — jai alai to the rest of the world — is the most flashy […]