Buckball is Soccer?
Since bucking is to kick with the hindlegs and Buckball is a competitive sport involving two teams, it might be a game that is somewhat based on Soccer.- Jossed: Buckball is a uniquely Equestrian game. It shares some aspects of Basketball and Quidditch, and each team is composed of a Power Trio of an Earth Pony, Unicorn, and Pegasus in positions that exploit their species' natural talents.
Buckball is American Football?
...and Hoofball is Association Football. Or is it the other way around, as guessed above? Both imply moving a ball by hoof, and Spike's references to Hoofball in "The Cutie Map part 1" makes it clear that the sport has trading cards associated with it (which is true for both American Football and Association Football), but Applejack dismissed her winning kick through field goal uprights with "years of applebuckin'" in "Fall Weather Friends".- Jossed, see above.
A character from a previous Season will return
Who is this pony that will return to make a surprise appearance in Buckball Season?- Probably Little Strongheart the buffalo, since it's set in Appleloosa.
- Jossed: The pony is Snails, who has had several minor appearances throughout the series, and even had a minor speaking role in Season 6's "The Cart Before the Ponies", but hasn't had any plot-significant role since Season 3's "Magic Duel" and the first Equestria Girls film. The surprise comes from how he's Rescued from the Scrappy Heap by this episode.
If Buckball is, in fact, analogous to American football, the following coaches/players will have pony versions of them appear in the episode
- Nick Saban (since Ponyville is playing Appleoosa)
- Jim Harbaugh (The MLP Superbowl Commercial had the Mane Six dressed in Indanapolis Colts jerseys)
- Tom Brady (Played in the Superbowl the aforementioned commercial aired)
- Andrew Luck (Current Quarterback of the Colts)
- Peyton Manning (Was Quarterback of 2016 Superbowl winner Denver Broncos)
- Jossed, the game is nothing like American football.
The episode takes place around the same time as The Times They Are a Changeling
This could explain why Rainbow Dash and Applejack didn't ask either Twilight Sparkle or Starlight Glimmer to be the unicorn player on their team.- Rarity isn't mentioned either, but it could be they assumed she wouldn't be interested or was busy with work.
- Rarity would be definitely less interested in the sport itself and more interested in designing sport uniforms for the team.
- Twilight might be barred from competing due to being an alicorn (that's racist!).
The huge pegasus on the Appleoosan team is related to Bulk Biceps
They both share similar character designs, and we don't know anything about Bulk's family. It seems that "Revertigo" also applies in this show
With Snips around, Snails is either a complete buffoon or an inconspicuous Genius Ditz.