Sports

A Bunch of Guys Wearing Chainmail and Bashing Each Other Is a Sport

By VICE Staff

Photographs by Danielle Parsons.

Is LARPing a sport? If you would have asked us a few years ago we'd have said, "I'm not sure it is, Jerry." But after hearing about the USA Knights and what they do—whup each other with weapons, kicks, and punches directed at every body part except the back of the neck and knees (no protection there)—we're inclined to say it is.

Photographer Danielle Parsons caught the the USA Knights team during its Eastern Division practice in Kensington, Philadelphia, which is the town where Rocky lived in the movies. I think Danielle's photos speak for themselves, but if you're curious, it's full-contact—no punches or sword-blows pulled. Fighters, which included five US team members, used the event to hone their combat skills for the 2013 Battle of the Nations, which is the sport's Super Bowl if the Super Bowl was worldwide and permitted the use of rustable materials. There's a national tourney in Springfield, Ill. next month, which should be even gnarlier. If you want to find out more about that event, join the team, or buy a sweatshirt, click here. If you want to sound off in the comments with something funny about all this, go ahead, but the negativity just highlights how weak and puny you are.