Arizona football team's Maori haka war dance draws Kiwis disdain (VIDEO)

After the University of Arizona football team performed the haka war dance made famous by New Zealand's All Blacks rugby team before Saturday's game against UCLA, some natives of the country down-under are claiming the American team's use of the ritual is disrespectful and insulting to its indigenous people.

Video of the Wildcats' use of the intense pre-game stomp-and-chant has attracted a lot of attention online, but some critics have slammed the team for insulting the tradition of New Zealand's Maori.

The intimidating war dance, characterized by synchronized, threatening gestures and rhythmic yells, the haka has long been performed by the New Zealand rugby team — the All Blacks — before they play a match.

Here's ASU's version:

The Wildcats and other American teams have occasionally performed their own version of the renowned '"Ka Mate" haka for years and believe their performances are a fitting tribute to the warrior tribe. But, according to the New Zealand Herald, many Kiwis see the American version as a dig at their culture and nothing more than a comical pre-game floor show.

Here's the real deal in action:

And while Arizona's less intense rendition was okay, the team might want to work on their fierceness. They got blown out by the Bruins 56-23.

VIDEO: The moment a cricket fan gets hit in face with ball

Most Americans interest in the sport of cricket would probably fall below watching paint dry and — if the Jerry Seinfeld American Express commercial a decade ago hadn't given us a five-second glimpse into the sport — a wicked googly is a term that would be rarely Googled over here.

One way to get U.S. fans interested in the gentlemanly sport with the same uniforms is show some poor fan take a bumper to the head with a nearly six-ounce cricket ball.

Here it is. And to make it sound authentic, here's how it was described in The Daily Mail.com:

Just one six was hit on the second day of the first test between New Zealand and England and Dunedin — but one poor lad wore it right on his temple. Having skittled England out for a pitiful 167, Kiwi openers Hamish Rutherford  and Peter Fulton had seen off the new ball and were just setting into their stride when Monty Panesar was bought into the attack by Alastair Cook.

But while the watching public were waiting to see if the spinner could exact any turn from a decent pitch, one unlucky punter took his eye off the ball as the left-handed Rutherford sent the ball sailing over the long-on rope.

You may not understand a single word (here's a cricket glossary) in the article, but it is way more interesting watching the guy get hit in the face with the rock-hard ball.




The spectator wasn't seriously injured but, as the announcers put it, "It's a falcon (hit to head).  It's a painful one, too."