- published: 08 May 2012
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Pesäpallo (Finnish pronunciation: [pesæpɑlːo]; Swedish: Boboll, also referred to as "Finnish baseball") is a fast-moving ball sport that is quite often referred to as the national sport of Finland and has some presence in other countries, such as Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, and Northern Ontario in Canada (Both Canada and Australia have high Finnish and Scandinavian populations). The game is similar to brännboll, rounders, baseball and lapta.
Pesäpallo is a combination of traditional ball-batting team games and North American baseball. The game was first developed by Lauri "Tahko" Pihkala in the 1920s. Pesäpallo has changed with the times and grown in popularity. Its success as spectator sport is based on the unique combination of skills, smarts, athleticism and teamwork required in the modern game. The game is nowadays also known by the informal name of pesis. Rooted deeply in the history of Finland as a nation and in the everyday life in the country regions, pesäpallo is also enjoyed by all Finns in schools, parks and fields as a hobby, which can be played by everybody for great fun.