United States national kabaddi team

The U.S. team for the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup was formed only just prior to the tournament by Florida A&M University graduate Celestine Jones, after meeting representatives of India's Pro Kabaddi League.[1][2] The PKL had helped to heighten the profile of kabaddi and popularize it as a televised sport in India—drawing comparisons to the commercial success of the Indian Premier League of Twenty20 cricket.[3]

The team was recruited via word-of-mouth advertising and posts on social networking services. One team member, Denmar McKie, was recruited via a text message sent by team co-captain Kushim Rey during a yoga class, which read "Do you want to go to India?"[1] The team consisted primarily of athletes that were graduates of the historically black Florida A&M University; many of the players were hip-hop musicians.[3][4] They briefly trained in Jacksonville on a baseball field before travelling to India for the tournament.[2] Team member Dillyon Banks felt that the training regiment of two sessions per-day was demanding, remarking that "there were people throwin' up on the field. We're not getting paid to do this. The dedication, the heart, the team effort it took in a short period of time to make this whole thing work is what brought us together."[2]

None of the team's players were familiar with the sport of kabaddi, but had experience in other sports such as American football, Track and field, and basketball.[1] Rey remarked that there was overlap between the skills and tactics of kabaddi and football, but that teamwork and coordination was even more crucial in kabaddi because "in football, if you give the ball to Barry Sanders, even if his line doesn't block, he could still make a play and score a touchdown. But here, if you're on defense and one person makes a wrong move, you can end up losing major points."[1] Having to compete against top countries such as India and Iran in their first competition ever,[1][2] McKie joked that their situation was "almost like trying to learn basketball by playing against the Golden State Warriors."[1]

The U.S. squad was one of several newcomer teams at the World Cup that The Guardian classified as being a "ragtag [unit] of novices, part-timers, and transplants from other sports"—such as the British team, which was similarly composed mainly of university students, and the Australian team, which consisted primarily of Australian rules football players. However, it was also noted that the U.S. team was enthusiastic over their participation, and were "as surprised to be heading to India as the kabaddi world-at-large was to welcome them as they emerged from customs at the airport" (where they were greeted with a "U-S-A!" chant as they emerged from the plane). It was argued that the presence of the U.S. and other newcomers was a sign that the sport of kabaddi was experiencing "[a] revolution from dusty provincial pastime to international media spectacle", and could begin to develop a following in the United States.[3]

The Hindustan Times felt that the U.S. team were a "quirk" of the tournament, "even by its regular standards considering pharmacists and engineers are competing against monks and fishermen", but stood out from others with their display of hip-hop culture, reporting that "their dreadlocked players take to the kabaddi mats with their nicknames on their backs. McKie wears his rap name 'Pharoh D' on the back of his shirt. Kevin Caldwell, an all rounder, wears 'Hustle' on his jersey. Fields' shirt also has his rap name 'Ronnie Eriic'. Another teammate is called 'Swag'."[4]

The inexperienced team opened the tournament with a 52–12 loss to tournament favorites Iran, followed by similarly lopsided losses to Japan, Poland, Thailand, and Kenya. The team, however, put these losses in a positive light; player Jamil Levitt-Hartney remarked that the team "[went] into every game looking to dominate", and that "losing is not something that we take lightly. It's motivation. It actually lights a fire to go and practice and get better. If we lose, we have this pride thing that comes ... I guess you can say it’s an American thing". McKie felt that kabaddi could appeal to an American audience that enjoys fast-paced and physical sports.[2] Celestine Jones also disclosed an intent to establish a PKL-styled competition for kabaddi in the United States, in the hopes that the country could become an "international contender" in the future.[2]