The clock slowly ticks down as the man stares at the path in front of him. He rubs his hands to wipe the sweat from them, then dusts them in chalk. There's no time to think. He runs, plants his feet on a tiny trampoline, and soars through the air. His arms and legs fire out like pistons, smashing into the walls on either side, holding him in place. Without hesitation or planning, he fires forward, pushing himself across the wall. On the other side, he jumps through, narrowly missing a plummet into icy water below. He lands, but only for a moment before standing up and running forward. There are still ten more obstacles to go. This is Ninja Warrior.
It's a silly name, especially when you tag the "American" onto it. "American Ninja Warrior" sounds like one of the straight to DVD flicks that you find on Netflix in the middle of the night, about a white guy who's, for some reason, better at Karate than all of Japan. But in reality, American Ninja Warrior is a competition with a rich background and history, and one that is only this year finally getting its due in the United States.
