After a series of infamous scandals involving baseball players rounding the bases in Formula One cars, many people have held a grudge against wheel-based athletics. Drive legally with today's Groupon: for $99, you get a group whirlyball outing at Joe Dumars' Fieldhouse in Shelby Township (up to a $246.90 total value). The package includes:
- One hour of Whirlyball for up to three teams of five (a $200 value)
- Two large one-topping pizzas (a $9.95 value each)
- Three pitchers of beer (a $9 value each) or soda (a $4.95 value each)
Whirlyball combines basketball, lacrosse, and bumper cars into a fast-paced flurry of squealing tires, whooshing scoops, and victorious hoots. Though the court is rented an hour at a time, games last only 10 to 15 minutes, leaving plenty of room for rematches or ostentatious award ceremonies. Any player taller than 4'6" is welcome, and the sport's equalizing whirly bugs make the game fun for rippled athletes and participants secretly made of straw alike. As the action settles, drivers can plunk down for a celebratory feast of pies and pitchers before packing into their vehicles and resisting the urge to start a freeway-based version of the game.
Joe Dumars Fieldhouse
Founded in 1994 as a community-based recreation center, Joe Dumars Fieldhouse is a 100,000-square-foot facility that houses sports leagues and camps in addition to an arcade-equipped entertainment center and an indoor/outdoor restaurant. Dumars' value of sportsmanship lives on through league play and pickup games on one of nine basketball courts and in two full-sized hockey arenas. Camps and clinics provide activity-based instruction to little ones, and the entertainment center's mini-golf and mini-bowling areas host small-scale enjoyment without enforcing miniature-shoe rentals. After rigorous activity, guests can head to Joe's Southern Grill, an arena-themed eatery with tables made from the Pistons' NBA-championship basketball court and a kitchen supervised by head chef Bill Laimbeer.