Crushbone: All smoke, no fire?

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

When tension peaks, angers goes unchanneled or perhaps it is simply that time of the month, how does one rid oneself of the overwhelming emotion to kill or maim without doing something regrettable?

Try crushbone.

A three-on-three basketball match played in a locked cage, the game is a high-contact gladiator-style game.

The satisfaction after playing the game probably does not match the feeling you would get punching the person who wronged you, but those who play it say crushbone is a great release and a total adrenaline rush.

Bayu Radityo, 25, loves the almost no-rules roughness of the game.

Played in an eight by eight-meter court inside a wire cubical cage three meters high, full body contact with other players is the beauty of the game, Bayu says.

"Playing traditional basketball, you always have to be careful not to get a foul. But crushbone is more rough, like it or not you'll brush other players and get hit," said Bayu, who used to be a member of the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL).

It is safe to say that crushbone is an original local form of basketball, an advertising gimmick invented by a team from Starmild cigarette producer PT Bentoel Prima to get young people to play and then start smoking their brand.

The company's brand manager Alfons Sindupranata said that the idea was to produce a game that combined entertainment with sport.

"We have this concept of a 'sportstainment' where we combine sports with entertainment, where a sports match is played alongside musical performances," Alfons said.

Collaborating with Jakarta-base Mahaka Sports Club, which specializes in basketball, crushbone was launched last year in the capital, and has spread to 14 cities in the country.

Alfons said the cage made it possible to install crushbone courts anywhere.

"There's no permanent court. We can install it anywhere as long as it is on flat ground where we can spread the rubber carpet. But mostly it's installed outdoors," he said.

Only launched last year, the game is now popular countrywide, a spectator sport that is as exciting for the audience as it is for the players.

The buzz has increased since private television stations began to broadcast the competition twice a week.

Despite the rough game, Alfons said the game has attracted women as well.

"There's no class or gender gap in this game. You just have to be at least 17 years old. There are mixed teams of men and women, and male teams versus women's teams. In Bali, there's a team of over-40s," he said.

Given the popularity, this year PT Bentoel launched Star Mild Crushbone Basketball National Championship 2005 last March in 15 cities throughout the country.

Over 1,000 teams signed up for qualifying rounds, and each round in every city has attracted thousands of viewers.

Hasani Abdulgani from Mahaka Sports said that the qualifying round in Surabaya recently attracted a crowd of over 15,000.

"The crowd is only beaten by dangdut (local popular music) crowds and crowds of soccer fans," he boasted.

Crushbone grand final was held on Saturday for Rp 100 million from the total cash prize of Rp 140 million.

It is still too early to see whether crushbone will last or will be just a flash in the pan, a fad sport.

Bayu, whose team Ballers 3 is among eight teams going to the grand final, was certain that the game will last.

"It's the whole package: The money, the fun, and it gives everybody a chance to be watched," he said.

Alfons said with crushbone still increasing in popularity, more tournaments would be held in the future.

"The Indonesian Basketball Association (Perbasi) said that crushbone could be included as a game in the association if we can last long enough. They said it's a good game that can reach everyone, including the grassroots," he said.

Neighboring countries like Thailand and Malaysia are already eyeing the patented game.

Which could mean that Starmild will be laughing and puffing all the way to the bank.

Rules of the game

Played in a locked cage for seven minutes straight -- the maximum time a player can handle a game, according to research No time out No "out" ball, so the two teams fight for the ball Bouncing the ball off the wire net allowed In crushbone, the three-point shoot in traditional basketball is worth five points