Sport in Ottonia

The Federation of Ottonian Republics enjoys a vibrant sporting culture, oriented around a large number of sporting activities. By economic impact, the North Ottonian sporting culture is dominated by what are often referred to as the "Big Three Leagues", team sport leagues that reliably draw sell-out crowds and result in some of the single highest salaries among any persons in the country.

Culture

As with many societies, the popularity of sport within Ottonia leads to a vibrant and intricate sporting culture, distinct from those in its neighbors and loaded with unique practices and idiosyncracies. It is worth note that sporting culture within North Ottonia is overwhelmingly oriented towards team sports, at least in regards to spectator sports.

All team sport league systems in North Ottonia operate on promotion/relegation systems.

Levels of competition range are classified as "Recreational" (this includes both "for-fun" leagues operated for and by adults, as well as youth leagues), "Developmental" (aimed at players looking to develop their skills, almost always with an eye towards advancing to higher levels of competition; many youth leagues fall into this category), "Semi-Professional" (the first level at which players receive monetary compensation for playing, although not at a level where play can be considered a proper profession), and "Professional" (in which sporting is the primary occupation of all players).

Fan Conduct

Ottonian fans, in sharp contrast to the citizenry's general reputation for politeness and good-nature, are notoriously rowdy.

Ownership

In contrast to most countries, professional sporting clubs are generally either publically-owned through the relevant governing authority (usually at the municipal level), or are directly affiliated to another organization (this is more common at semi-professional levels of play, where union-owned and fan-owned teams are fairly normal). This contributes to a fairly stable base of teams (outside of foundings and foldings), and the opportunity for long-term traditions to grow around teams in particular cities across sports.

The Big Three

Spectator sporting in North Ottonia is dominated by three team sports: gridiron-code football, association-code football, and ice hockey. The

Gridiron Football

Arguably the single most-popular sport in Ottonia is gridiron football. The highest level of professional play in Ottonia is the Ottonian Inter-Republic League, which draws players from the city-based Republic leagues, which generally operate on promotion & relegation systems. The gridiron season runs from April to September.

Association Football

Ottonian association football is represented at the professional level by the Greater Ottonia Football Association, which features three levels of competition: the top-level O1, the second-level Pan-Ottonian Football League, and, at the third level, the various Republic leagues. Due to the much longer season (association football games are played throughout most of the year, and even the summer breaks are largely to account for international competition), footy games generally draw lower attendance than either of North Ottonia's other principle sports, but pulls in comparable revenue.

Ice Hockey

The ice hockey season runs from October through April. Ice hockey is represented at the professional level by the Ottonian Hockey Federation, which operates the First Division, the Second Division, and the Regional Affiliate leagues at the bottom.

Ice hockey in North Ottonia is a rather rough game, with rather liberal rules regarding player contact and with fights being commonplace. At the international level, the North Ottonian hockey team maintains fierce rivalries with South Ottonia, Ghant, and Latium.

Other Sports

Other Team Sports

Despite the overall dominance of the Big Three, North Ottonians generally show a wide enthusiasm for sport and a willingness to at least experiment with other games.

Baseball

Arguably the biggest minor team sport in North Ottonia, baseball has picked up a somewhat unusual following due to its reputation as a relaxed game. Played exclusively during the late spring to early fall, when the weather is most suitable to a day spent outside, baseball is largely contested in municipal parks, where spectators often hold picnics and drink while watching; in sharp contrast to the often intense atmospheres of Big Three games, the air at baseball games is often jovial and good-natured, even between rival players and fans.

Baseball is played at a professional level within North Ottonia, governed and organized by the Baseball Federation of Ottonia, although the standards of competition are not considered to be especially high.

Basketball & Handball

Basketball has a modest following as a winter sport in North Ottonia. Often heavily overlapping with fans of handball (see below) which is played in the summer, basketball only supports competition up to a semi-professional level.

Lacrosse

Along with baseball, lacrosse is the only non-Big Three team sport that is played at a professional level in North Ottonia, although the quality of the competition within the North Ottonian Ottonian National Lacrosse Federation's leagues is not considered to be very high.

Pitz

Although only contested up to a semi-professional league level, Pitz has a following in North Ottonia which makes up for its relatively small size with enthusiasm. The Ottonian Association for Pitz has an estimated 9,000 dues-paying members, along with 16 partnered clubs. Attempts at international competition have generally ended in lackluster results.

Motorsports

Motorsports have a proud history in Ottonia, dating back to the early 1900's when the first Ottonian-made automobiles rolled off the assemblyline. Competitive motoring took a serious hit between 1935 and 1955 during a period of warfare and economic privation, and this period essentially killed the enthusiasm for racing that involved purpose-built race cars, but resulted in an ecosystem of racing built around production car racing, rallying, and similar-style events such as rallycross, hill-climbing, and folkraces. The environment is similar in regards to motorcycle racing.

Wintersports

Due to Ottonia's often cold and snowy winters, there are broad followings for several snow- and ice-oriented sports. In addition to the above-mentioned ice hockey, figure skating, ice dance, alpine and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, and biathalon all have strong followings.