Sports Are Always More Fun in the Dark

As a child, I can remember dreading when the sun went down.

After school I would get to play a game of catch with some of my buddies, toss around a football, or put together an impromptu match of soccer. However, the sun setting was a natural referee's whistle blow signaling the end of the fun. Apparently children having fun outside in the dark is "dangerous" for many reasons, and even if our parents didn't mind, it was hard to see where anything was.

The other day I came across a cool new pair of shoes on one of my favorite websites - glow-in-the-dark soccer shoes. This discovery led me to think of all the other nighttime sporting equipment that I wish I had as a kid which would allow us to stay outdoors for a little while longer.

The darkness adds another layer of competitiveness and difficulty, which in turn makes them more fun—if you can see what's happening.

Light-Up Football

I've seen commercials for these before, but I have never owned a light-up football and I really want one. Even though it's been a long time since I was a child, I still think I would get pretty good use out of one of these. I think Nerf sells one, but I found a company that specializes in light up sports gear.

Who hasn't wanted to toss around a football at 2 AM? This would be great to use if you had a postgame tailgate that lasted into the late hours of the night, and totally tells observers, "Hey, I am a football fan, but at the same time, I want to be aware of where my ball is when it is dark."

Reflective Running Jackets

It's common knowledge that reflective jackets, tape, headbands, and even blinking lights exist to keep walkers and runners safe at dusk and dawn, but I don't think people give these items much credit for how useful they really are.

The way I see it, they are similar to bicycle helmets—you're supposed to wear them because it keeps you safe, but you think you're "cool" when you don't wear them. But think of professionals, a la Lance Armstrong, who wear them and they're cool.

Reflective jackets not only allow you to run at the hours which may be most convenient for you, but they keep people safe at those poorly-lit hours (statistics could not be found, see here). Smart people in the reflective industry have now even designed reflective jackets for dogs to wear. Now Spunky can jog safely too.

Laser Tag

Here is one that I did own for a while, but do not remember what happened to my set: laser tag. Who doesn't like shooting their friends?

This gateway game to paintball is a load of fun and playing it at night makes it even more enjoyable. Most of the sets have glow-in-the-dark pieces so it's not impossible to spot your friends, and I remember seeing a set that "bleeds" a noise if you get shot, similar to how an animal may bleed if you don't get the one-shot-kill. 

Similar to watching a movie or sleeping, laser tag is more enjoyable in the dark.

Nike's Air Zoom Control II Indoor with Multi-Color Patch Design

While a light-up soccer ball may be a little more important to the overall success of a nighttime game of soccer, a pair of Nike Air Zoom Control II Indoor with Multi-Color Patched are this year's big sunglasses. They're kind of obnoxious, but you can't help but love them, just like the rest of the Nike air zoom controls.

As if the bright colors weren't enough, the shoes glow when the lights are off, alerting everyone that your shoes are still awesome when the lights are off. They are indoor shoes, but that just means you can wear them out in public to show them off. Additionally, the air zoom controls are well made of Kangaroo leather.

I don't recommend wearing the Nike Air Zoom Controls while playing laser tag, as they may give away your position.