Whirlyball is a team sport invented by Stan Mangum that combines elements of basketball and jai alai, or rather a combination of lacrosse and bumper cars, with the players riding Whirlybugs, small electric vehicles similar to bumper cars. Because play requires a special court, it is played in only a handful of locations in the United States and Canada.
A Whirlyball team consists of five players. Each player rides a Whirlybug and carries a scoop, with which he or she can pass the ball, usually a Wiffle ball, to teammates and shoot at the goal, a circular target above the two opposite ends of the court. A score in Whirlyball is called a "Whirlic".
Players are not allowed to leave their cars or to touch the ball with their hands. Other than that, almost anything is allowed, within certain bounds of safety, e.g., one is not allowed to ram a player from behind (four-point penalty). Games played by veterans at a national level can get particularly vicious, although it is extremely rare for a serious injury to occur.[citation needed]