The Abandoned Big Bend Jai Alai

Jai alai is a sport that gained popularity in Florida in the 20th century as one of the state’s only legal gambling options, marketed as “the Fastest Game in the World.” It consists of a wicker sling-like device known as a cesta being used to bounce a hardball known as a pelota off of a wall and back towards the players. The slogan “Fastest Game in the World” was derived from the speed at which the pelotas are slung, which can be as quick as 200 mph. By the 1980s, jai alai was a household name. At one point there were nine different jai alai arenas, known as frontons, in the state of Florida. The Big Bend Jai Alai Fronton in Chattahoochee was open from 1978 to 1990, sitting abandoned for the past 30 years. Jai alai is pronounced “high-lie.”