If you have been on social media in the last month — or watched The Friday Show this past week — it’s highly likely that you have seen videos of high schoolers playing hacky sack. Once a staple of 1980s backyard fun, hacky sack is making a surprising comeback among high school students across the country. What was once seen as a niche or nostalgic activity has rapidly become a social phenomenon, appearing on school fields, in classrooms, and especially for sports teams. 

Hacky sack is a simple game that was invented in 1972 by Mike Marshall and John Stalberger in Oregon. What began as a rehabilitation exercise for rehabbing knee injury patients quickly evolved into a wildly popular game for high schoolers and college students. “I think the simplicity of the game is what makes it so popular right now,” explained Senior Sean Callahan. The game is easy to learn and all you need is one hacky sack and you can get a game going with a bunch of kids.” Undoubtedly the simplicity is a huge part of the appeal. The soft but weighted design of the sack makes it incredibly easy to juggle and do tricks with practice. 

But why and how has hacky sack become so incredibly popular in such a short span of time? High schoolers seem to credit social media. “Every time I’m on Instagram I see a hacky sack account of a high school doing tricks and playing together,” noted Sophomore Liam Merrigan. 

“People have gone ahead and made rankings accounts as well which definitely encourages people to try and one up other schools.” Senior Alexander Rozanitis also pointed out the creativity to do fun tricks as another reason for hacky sack’s popularity. “I’m always trying to do a new trick I saw while watching [Instagram] Reels or Tik Tok. There really is no limit to things you can do with a hacky sack.”

For a game with such a simple premise, the comradery and social interaction hacky sack brings cannot be understated. “Whenever I have a chance at practice or during a game I love to play hacky sack with my teammates,” exclaimed Sophomore Beckett Williams. “Some days playing hacky sack after practice is the thing I look forward to the most.” During a time when screens and distractions are everywhere, hacky sack has offered a refreshing alternative, bringing kids out of the online world and into the real world in a fun, simple way.