Pillow fighting is moving out of the bedroom and into the boxing ring. The Pillow Fight Championship, or PFC, plans to hold its first live, pay-to-watch event in Florida on January 29.
Steve Williams had the idea of turning a children’s game into a professional fighting sport. The head of PFC said professional pillow fighting will have the excitement of hand-to-hand fighting without the violence of mixed martial arts, or MMA, and boxing. He said it is not a joke.
“It’s not something where you sit there and laugh and feathers are flying,” Williams told Reuters. “It’s serious. It’s hardcore swinging with specialized pillows.”
The three-round fights will be available to view on sports streaming station FITE.
Fighters from Professional Pillow Fight Championship compete, in Delray Beach, Florida, U.S., October 23, 2021. Picture taken October 23, 2021. Owen Phillips/Professional Pillow Fight Championship/Handout via REUTERS
The male and female athletes in January’s event come mostly from MMA and boxing. But Williams said the athletes are not going to get injured.
“The fighters don’t like to get hurt, and there’s a lot of people who don’t want to see the blood. They want to see good competition, they just don’t want to see the violence.”
Since many people grew up pillow fighting with friends or relatives, Williams hopes the new sport will be relatable and can grow a large audience, including children.
“You can call it an alternative sport, but we think it’s going to have mainstream appeal,” he said.
“Think about how they mixed country music with rap music and brought these diverse audiences together. That’s what we’re doing, and we hope it brings in a different kind of viewer.”
I’m Dan Novak.
Reuters reported this story. Dan Novak adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.
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Words in This Story
pillow — n. a bag filled with soft material that is used as a cushion usually for the head of a person who is lying down
ring — n. an area that is used for shows and contests and is usually surrounded by ropes or a fence
feather — n. any one of the light growths that make up the outer covering of the body of a bird
hardcore — adj. very active and enthusiastic
alternative — adj. not usual or traditional
mainstream — adj. the thoughts, beliefs, and choices that are accepted by the largest number of people
diverse — adj. made up of people or things that are different from each other