Ferret-legging

Ferret-legging may have originated during the time when only the relatively wealthy in England were allowed to keep animals used for hunting, forcing poachers to hide their illicit ferrets in their trousers.

[9] The former world champion, Reg Mellor, is credited with instituting the practice of wearing white trousers in ferret-legging matches, to better display the blood from the wounds caused by the animals.

[9] Competitors can attempt, from outside their trousers, to dislodge the ferrets, but as the animals can maintain a strong hold for long periods, their removal can be difficult.

[14] The pastime gained attention in a humorous article written by Don Katz, entitled "King of the Ferret Leggers," in the October 1987 issue of Outside magazine.

[19] Retired miner Reg Mellor, from Barnsley,[20] set the new world record time of five hours and twenty-six minutes on 5 July 1981 at the Annual Pennine Show at Holmfirth, Yorkshire.

[13] In 1986, Mellor attempted to break his own record before a crowd of 2,500 spectators, intending to beat the "magic six-hour mark—the four-minute mile of ferret legging".

[21] Christopher Borrelli of The Blade describes ferret-legging as a "remarkable" sport in which you get "more agony of defeat than thrill of victory,"[28] and Louis Mahoney of the Richmond Times-Dispatch said it is "sure to bring a laugh.

"[31] American sportswriter Rick Reilly of ESPN tried ferret-legging as part of his quest to find "the world's dumbest sport" for a book published in 2010.

[32] Mellor made a brief appearance in the 1976 television documentary presented by actor and wrestler Brian Glover entitled It's no joke living in Barnsley, in which he demonstrated ferret-legging.

"[33] In November 1992, the J. Walter Thompson advertising firm produced television commercials for the California State Lottery that compared keno with ferret-legging.