There are a lot of popular video game mascots and series that have built a legacy over time, but there are very few that can compete with the notoriety of Nintendo’s Mario. Nintendo is a company that prides themselves in their innovations towards the video game industry, which is often done through their ambitious hardware and peripherals— but it also applies to how they’ve used Mario as a figurehead to help introduce audiences to different genres of games, like sports series.
Mario has found a surprising amount of success as a sports icon and it’s helped these fun twists on classic sports become some of Nintendo’s most cherished properties. Mario’s athletic days are far from over, but he’s played some sports more often than others.
10 Dodgeball Hasn't Caught On In The Mushroom Kingdom (1)
Admittedly, dodgeball is a considerably more simplistic activity that may not be recognized as a "sport" by everyone, but it's an undeniably infectious physical activity. There have been a small sector of dodgeball video games over the years and in Mario's case it's only featured once, and as one of the several sports that are present in Mario Sports Mix which was released for the Wii.
This is arguably the right environment to test the waters with Mario dodgeball, but it's yet to return, so it may already be out of the picture for Mario and company.
9 Mario Knows How To Dance But Rarely Gets To Show It Off (1)
The rhythm genre of video games has taken some time to evolve from niche interest to sustainable franchises that can succeed on home consoles. The Dance Dance Revolution series is one of the biggest rhythm series to break into the mainstream and Nintendo capitalized on its success with a Super Mario-centric version of the dance title.
Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix for GameCube showcases a fun variety of characters and environments from the Mushroom Kingdom, but most importantly there’s an excellent selection of classic Mario music. Mario hasn’t gotten more opportunities to show off his dance skills, but he’s still got them.
8 Mario Has Made A Few Laps Around A Baseball Diamond (3)
Baseball may be considered America’s national pastime, but it took some time for Mario and friends to turn to the popular sport. Mario’s first foray with baseball is in the entertaining Gamecube game, Mario Superstar Baseball.
The title sets a strong foundation for how to deliver a Mario-based version of the sport, which gets expanded upon even further in Mario Super Sluggers for the Wii. There are only two Mario games devoted entirely to baseball, but it’s also one of the five sports that are featured in the Nintendo 3DS’ Mario Sports Superstars compilation title.
7 Mario’s Many Years Riding Yoshi Have Made Him A Natural Equestrian (4)
Equestrian and horse racing are definitely not the first sports that come to mind with Mario, which makes it surprising how many times the character has shown off his expertise in this area. There are no games that are devoted purely to horse racing, but it’s turned into a popular addition in many of the compilation titles.
Horse racing makes an appearance in the Nintendo 3DS sports showcase compilation, Mario Sports Superstars. However, equestrian has such a presence with Mario because of its representation in the three Summer Olympics editions of the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games franchise.
6 Mario Is Comfortable With Hitting The Ice To Play Hockey (4)
Hockey is one sport that Mario has shown some reluctance towards when it comes to a full game that’s devoted to the activity, but there’s such value to it that hockey has turned up in a bunch of different Mario-based sports series.
Mario has hit the ice on four different occasions. The two Winter Olympics installments of the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series prominently showcase ice hockey and it’s also one of the main sports to play in Mario Sports Mix. However, hockey also shows up as one of the better mini-games that’s available in Mario Party 5.
5 Mario’s Platforming Skills Have Turned Him Into A Natural At Soccer (6)
Soccer/football is a sport that took Mario some time to get acquainted with, but it’s now a vital part of Mario’s repertoire of athletic talents. Super Mario Strikers for the GameCube marks Mario’s soccer debut, and it’s a fairly exaggerated version of the sport at that.
Mario Strikers Charged for Nintendo’s follow-up console, the Wii, features an even more chaotic version of the sport. More traditional forms of soccer appear in Mario Sports Superstars, as well as the three Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games that focus on summer sports.
4 Mario’s Volleyball Skills Are Among Some Of His Best (7)
Volleyball is a popular sport for video game series to spin off into, whether it’s Dead or Alive or even the Klonoa games. Volleyball makes its Mario debut in Mario Party 4 as a highly detailed mini-game that can get unlocked in a full capacity. Volleyball returns in Mario Party 5, albeit not as a full game.
However, the success and fun of the sport led to its inclusion in the three Summer installments of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, as well as a highlight in Mario Sports Mix, and a surprise challenge in Super Mario Odyssey.
3 Basketball Is Natural For Mario & His Excellent Jumping Skills (7)
So many Super Mario games heavily revolve around Mario’s jumping abilities and so it’s appreciated to see those skills translate over to basketball. Basketball is one of the more satisfying minigames to be featured in the original Mario Party, as well as three of its sequels, yet never as a full game.
This changes in Mario Hoops 3-on-3, which is devoted to basketball, but it also turns up in Mario Sports Mix. Surprisingly, Mario and a few friends also cameo in the GameCube’s version of NBA Street V3, which totals up to seven titles.
2 Golf Is One Of Mario’s Oldest & Most Cherished Pastimes (8)
Golf is often the first sport that’s associated with Mario and it’s the physical activity that he’s been tied to for the longest. NES Open Tournament Golf for the original NES features Mario as a playable character and was even known as Mario Open Golf in Japan.
Golf gets featured in Mario Sports Superstars, but beyond this there are six unique standalone Mario Golf games that truly go above and beyond, including comprehensive story modes and RPG mechanics. New Mario Golf games are still in favor, and the Switch’s Mario Golf: Super Rush came out just this summer.
1 Tennis Has Dominated Mario’s Athletic Interests (10)
Tennis shares the spotlight with a collection of other sports in the 3DS’ Mario Sports Superstars, but it’s otherwise received a wealth of opportunities to prove that Mario deserves to have a tennis racket in his hand. There are nine Mario Tennis games when the contrasting handheld versions of certain titles are taken into consideration.
It’s also important to remember that Mario’s fascination with tennis begins back in 1995 on the Virtual Boy’s Mario’s Tennis, which often gets overlooked and the credit incorrectly given to the N64 version for being the first in that series. The potential was there all those decades ago, but the controls and creativity behind Mario Tennis has reached amazing places since.