Imagine Getting Paid to Pillow Fight

November 19, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

Pre-match briefing

Happy Tuesday everyone. We hope you had a better week than Mike Tyson. Or better than those who spent time watching the lackluster fight.

This week we’ll be looking at the world’s first pillow-fighting championship, Bull Riders’ elite cup return, a tennis star getting fined $120,000, and we’ll cover the following:

  • Athlete of the week: Hauley Tillman

  • Venue of the week: Rogers Centre

  • Kit of the week: Essendon’s ‘Dreamtime’

  • Sport of the week: Muay Thai

Kick-off
🤼 Taking Pillow Fighting out of the Bedroom and into Boxing Rings

YES, you can get paid to fight with a pillow. The Pillow Fight Championship (PFC) is the world’s first professional pillow-fighting league, drawing a surprising amount of attention. Athletes earn $250 if they lose and $500 if they win, with championship prizes ranging from $5,000 to $10,000.

PFC was created to develop a real combat sport that appeals to all ages, blending traditional pillow fighting with experienced MMA competitors. The result? A fast-paced, all-ages-friendly competition unmatched by any other sports in terms of entertainment or combat league.

The league has already appeared on ESPN's annual Ocho telecast and secured sponsors like Dr. Pepper, BetMGM, and Manscaped, highlighting its commercial potential.

PFC’s specialized pillows weigh two pounds and have undergone extensive R&D, featuring a patented pillowcase design for optimal control and durability. PFC also enforces strict rules, prohibiting body contact, pillow-dropping, and opponent-grabbing while limiting each round to 90 seconds due to the intense physicality.

PFC has now expanded globally, with leagues in Ghana, Nigeria, Poland, India, Brazil, and the United States. Do you see it coming to your country soon?

Scout’s Overview
📡 🚨 Weekly Sports Radar: Muay Thai

Why Muay Thai?

Muay Thai, known as the "Art of Eight Limbs," is a combat sport that uses fists, elbows, knees, and shins to attack opponents while employing clinching techniques for control. The sport is revered for its practicality in self-defense, physical conditioning, and cultural heritage.

How It Works & How to Win:

The goal is to outscore opponents with clean, impactful strikes while demonstrating technique, control, and aggression. Matches can end in knockout (KO), technical knockout (TKO), or be decided on points, with judges focusing on precision, effectiveness, and overall dominance in the ring.

Athlete of the week: Hauley Tillman

Venue of the week: Rogers Centre

Hauley Tillman is a martial artist and professional MMA fighter known for his skill in Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, and Kung Fu.

Fun fact: We’ve picked him because he’s the first-ever winner of the Pillow Fighting Championship.

Rogers Centre, formerly the SkyDome, is a versatile stadium in Toronto.

Fun fact: This stadium was the first in the world to feature a fully retractable motorized roof, opening or closing in just 20 minutes!

🧤 Fit Check: Essendon Bombers ‘Dreamtime’

This kit, from the sport of Aussie Rules Football, embeds Indigenous patterns and drawings into the design and colors of Essendon (an AFL team).

Please keep the suggestions coming for next week’s fit check!

From the bench
🗞️ In case you were injured:

  • Professional Bull Riders Canada’s Elite Cup returns for its Seventh Consecutive Season on February 28, 2025

  • Referee David Coote was suspended after a leaked video showed him insulting Jürgen Klopp and Liverpool

🎯 In over-time:

  • US Tennis Star Francis Tiafoe was fined $120,000 during a tennis match for repeatedly swearing at the umpire

  • A fully packed stadium sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to 100-year-old Colorado superfan Peggy Coppom

  • Watch Gary Payton II practice with a young fan before a Warriors game

📊 Analyst’s corner:

That brings us to the end of our sophomore newsletter, I hope you enjoyed it!

If you enjoyed reading The Gameplan, consider forwarding it to your friends & family! If you have some ideas, email us at [email protected].

Signing out,
Wasay (brother #2)

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