The Coolest Ritual in Sports

What's the coolest ritual in sports? Is it the Miami Hurricanes crashing through the fog to enter the stadium? How about the Florida State's Chief Osceola driving his flaming spear into the 50 yard line before the game? Maybe it's Script Ohio? Midnight Madness at Chapel Hill? The Cameron Crazies' antics when a Duke opponent's at the charity stripe? Cubs fans throwing the other team's dingers back? Pick any one of them you like. For my money, the New Zealand All-Blacks rugby team takes the prize. Before each game, they do a Maori dance called "The Haka." It's way cool, and intimidating as hell.

Take a look at the effect of The Haka on England's team (the reigning World Champs) just before a 2004 match. You'll need Real Player for this one, and it's kind of a lengthy download, but I think it's worth it.

The Haka's fairly menacing, and the other teams know it. Most try to look impassive, which is what England does, rather unconvincingly, in the attached clip. However, according to the New Zealand Rugby Museum, that isn't always the case: "in 1989 Irish captain Willie Anderson led his team forward to a virtual face to face confrontation. Newport that year retired behind their goalline, so the All Blacks advanced to the 22 to issue their challenge. English hooker Richard Cockerill eyeballed Norm Hewitt as he led the haka at Manchester in late 1997. There have too been various Australian reactions."