24. Chariot Races
In ancient Roman times, men raced one another in horse-drawn chariots. Similar to modern-day NASCAR, the racers went around the same track a certain number of times. Whoever reached the finish line first was the winner. The racers often collided, and were often seriously injured. If a cart was overturned, this would mean being trampled to death by horses. The life expectancy of a professional chariot racer was very low, because of how dangerous it was. The first modern depiction of a real chariot race reenacted on camera was in the 1959 movie Ben-Hur. There was also a remake of the movie in 2016.
During Roman rule, women were banned from watching all sports, but chariot races were the only thing they could see in the crowd. So this was very much a spectator experience that the entire family could enjoy. One might assume that drivers would work alone, but the chariot drivers actually liked to join together and work on teams. By training together, these racers could practice with their friends and then race against their rivals when it was time to compete.