The broom, a 3-foot long stick with an orange rubber flipper on the end, is used to hit a miniature soccer ball into the opposing team's net. Before Iowa State started using the modern-day brooms, players used actual brooms, which were dipped in a solution to make the bristles bond together so they wouldn't fall out. Now, ISU gets more than 300 broomball teams of men and women in the fall semesters. There's about 180 teams this spring. Broomball is not really a dangerous sport.
Many people come out of the games with some bruises but nothing really serious.
The worst thing that has ever happened is that a girl broke her leg, but that happened a few years ago and it was kind of a freak accident. Though not the most prestigious award, several students said they were proud to see ISU recognized in Sports Illustrated. Kyle Kenkel, a sophomore in exercise and sports science, is an avid player. His team went all the way to intramural semi-finals. I thought it was cool that Iowa State received recognition for an intramural sport.