Another aspect of Word-Sport™ is its versatility to be used in a close quarter situation. Consider the size of the tables in most coffee houses. They are from two to three ft. round which are good for seating two people. This is a small area for most board game play. It would also be very tight for Word-Sport™ if not for a unique feature of our game.

The key is in our uniquely designed letter tiles which can be broken up into an exact half set (See tile distribution page). This way, two people at a small table are using fifty, not one hundred letter tiles. There is no game board as the table itself is the game board. Use of the timer clock isn’t necessary with two players as the first one who finishes his criss-cross words is the winner!

Our first coffee house play test at the Coffee Tree Cafe in Lapeer, MI. Details

Owner John Manos stands in front of the menu board at the Divine Caffé in Keego Harbor, MI. Details

Van Gogh Self-Portrait 1887
Detroit Institute of Arts
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A Solitary Suggestion
First, Nike reinvented the commodity of the tennis shoe in the 1970s’. In the 1980s’, Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks® did the same with the commodity of coffee. Now, Word-Sport™ reinvents the way a word game can be played.

Suppose you go to a coffee house by yourself just to be in a place with others and enjoy the ambience. We suggest that you use a half set and enjoy Word-Sport™ in a solitary style. Word-Sport™ can be a good ice breaker to meet people as it’s sure to attract the attraction of other patrons. Others may want to join in as a half set of fifty tiles can play two people. If you have a bigger table, add the rest of the tiles to play four people. Coffee and conversation is what people go to these places for. Word-Sport™ is just a natural extension.

Recommended Reading
I suggest that you pick up the book Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company, One Cup at a Time, by Howard Schultz (1997, Hyperion Press). Page 75 has the section “Yes, You Can Reinvent a Commodity”. The book is very informative and inspirational in building Word-Sport™... one word at a time. I read it three times and still hop-scotch sections in review.

Coffee House Competitions™
Word-Sport™ went on the road to play test our game “Tournament Style” at game conventions and at a local college prep. high school. The game goes so fast that win times are registered in the hundredths of a second! After the winner is determined, a one minute count down speeds up the conclusion of the game. The social dynamic of the event is also very impressive as Word-Sport™ is well received by those who are interested in word games.

The Coffee House Competitions™ will originate in the Tri-County area of Michigan (Oakland, Macomb and Wayne). Recognition and prizes will be awarded to top performers. Individual stores will naturally have an in-store champion which may lead to competition among stores. We have a vision of a tournament the size of the annual Scrabble® tournament.

Just leave your e-mail address in our Contact and E-News section and we’ll keep you informed on the next public appearance of Word-Sport™.