In Spanish, “pelota” means “ball,” but this word is also the name of a game played with that ball and rackets shaped like baskets (called “cinta”) attached to the players’ hands. The sport acquired the name “jai alai” (which translates to “merry festival” from the Basque language) when it came to Cuba in 1910. Pelota and jai alai have ancient roots in the Basque culture (an ethnic group and geographic region spread across France and Spain), but the fast-paced sport gained worldwide popularity in the early to mid-20th century. As players race across the walled three-sided court, hurling the pelota with the cinta, the pelota can reach speeds above 150 mph. The pelota is traditionally made of hard rubber, covered in leather, and is just smaller than a baseball, but harder than a golf ball.