With the world of sport on hiatus due to Covid-19, there has been a vacuum of televised competition to distract and entertain. Senseless bickering about the likelihood of various leagues returning and never-ending contract negotiations has replaced the time-honored repartee of mocking one another for backing this or that team.
This sports-less purgatory necessitates a pinch-hitter — the sort of sport that does not require players susceptible to plague in order to operate. Enter Marbula E Racing. This marble-racing league has been watched by millions — be they sports nuts or not — and boasts an extraordinarily high production value. The marbles represent actual open-wheel racing Formula E teams; they bear Mercedes-Benz and BMW branding, with sponsorship coming from Envision Virgin Racing. Though so very rarely right about anything, John Oliver, the comedian host of Last Week Tonight, gave a nod to Marbula E in one of his most recent episodes. I see this as proof of the redemptive and unifying power that marble racing possesses.
