The Argentine Open World Polo Tournament

Little did Brian and I know that Argentina is the Polo mecca of the world! British settlers organized their first formal polo game in Argentina in 1875, and the sport spread fast between skillful gauchos (cattle ranchers) and polo clubs all over Buenos Aires. Today the Asociación Argentina de Polo lists more than 100 polo clubs in Buenos Aires alone. Currently 15 out of 25 of the world's top polo players are Argentine according to the World Polo Ranking.

Brian and I attended the Argentine Open World Polo Tournament in Palermo, only a few minutes ride away from our flat.

We've never been to a polo game before. So it was an educational experience being a part of a world tournament where millionaires and billionaires flew in from all over the world to watch this game where men galloped on horses, and hit a white ball with a stick.

My first impression of my very first polo game was that it was a well-heeled crowd comprised of wealthy Argentines, and visitors from all over the world most prominently from Europe and the Middle East.

It felt like a frat party, or a weekend in the Hamptons.

ESPN was live broadcasting the tournament, and there were lots of Argentine celebrities in the crowd. A "Who's Who" of Buenos Aires.

An American polo player, the owner of the Houston Polo Club in Texas, overhead Brian and my conversation about Chicago at a food stand and stepped in. He introduced himself and said he was from Bollingbrook, a suburb south of Naperville. Immediately this American polo player began bragging about how much money he made and how much he's traveled, and talking about how it was his dream to be a polo player because he wanted to be rich. He also talked about how polo players were required to find rich donors and sponsors, so most of what he did was networking and rubbing elbows with millionaires.

"Are you happy and do you like what you do for a living?" I point blank asked him.

He was silent at first as if he was seriously thinking about whether he was happy or not.

Then slowly responded as if he was confused, "Yeah..? "

The polo game was completely different from the rowdy and loud La Boca futbol game we went to months ago.

I'm glad that Brian and I experienced two very different sports worlds in Argentina: Argentine Futbol and Argentine Polo.

Beautiful and strong horses! The horses looked well taken care of.

The horses were changed frequently. Whenever a horse wasn't performing strongly, or misbehaving, gauchos would ride a new horse and swap them with the old horse. This happened all throughout the game where most of the players rode on average 4 - 5 different horses throughout the game.

Brian and I dressed the part by wearing a polo shirt, and large floppy hat. People watching was my favorite part about the game.