The history of sport is as old as humanity itself; we enjoy kicking balls, swinging bats or rackets, or engaging in some good old physical activity and competition. People compete to measure their strength, speed, and of course their endurance. From marathons to competitive sauna, endurance sports are some of the most popular all around the world, and the best of all is that you can bet on them by opening a betting account with a broker.

Back to sports, sometimes people take things a little bit too far. Let me tell you about Ferret-legging. This unusual endurance competition is quite simple in nature and it is open to males only. Contestants take live ferrets, shove them down their pants, and the winner is whoever can stand the ferrets biting and scratching in their legs (and their “family jewels”) for the longest. Yes, you read it right, ferrets, down their pants.

There are rules, of course, to make sure that the contest is a fair competition for everyone. The pants must be tied at the ankle so the ferret cannot escape and be roomy enough for the ferret to move from ankle to ankle freely. The ferrets must have all their 34 teeth and all their claws. Neither ferret nor contestant can be drugged in any way, so no painkillers (except maybe for a pint of booze on the side), and finally, and maybe most chokingly, no underwear allowed, once the ferret is inside and the pants are belted tight, the games begin.

And what may be the most impressive fact we have to share with you today is that the current record for ferret-legging, or “put ’em down” as the pros call it, is 5 hours and 30 minutes! Can you paint this picture in your heads? Over 5 hours, with an angry ferret trapped inside your pants, and with no protection, nor underwear!

Ferret-legging has quite a rich history. While today ferrets are considered pets, they were once used as hunting animals. Hunters would send muzzled ferrets into the burrows of rabbits and moles to scare them out. However, during the Middle Ages, ferreting became illegal unless you were very, very wealthy, and we can say that this is how this sport was born. Poor hunters and poachers were forced to smuggle their ferrets past game wardens inside their pants. It’s unclear when shoving ferrets down your pants became a sport instead of a necessity, and we are not sure of where either. Some claim Scotland, others England, what we do know is that it became very popular among Yorkshire miners in the 1970s.

Ferret-legging is one of the most unusual endurance sports in the world, that is sadly falling out of popularity since 2009. And while one has to wonder why someone would actually want to shove a ferret down their pants, this is far from the weirdest thing tradition has led people to do. And who knows, there is always a hope of an Olympic revival for the sport… Probably not though. If you want to bet on rare sports, Olympics or special events, contact us and enjoy the experience of betting with the best betting broker!