High schools and colleges across the nation are seeing the resurgence of a treasured pastime: Hacky Sack. A game that originated in the 1980s has been revived, fueled largely by social media. That resurgence has now reached Randolph and the school community.  

“My personal favorite thing about Hack is the way it brings everyone together,” said Jaxson Markowitz, senior captain of the Randolph Sack team. 

The movement’s unofficial slogan, “spread sack, not hate,” a riff on the phrase “spread love, not hate,” is becoming a saying on social media.

For many players, the game is about more than competition. “Playing with all my boys, I always have a great time,” Markowitz added. 

Hacky Sack, also known as “footbag,” originated in 1972 and was originally designed as a rehabilitation tool for knee injuries. It later evolved into a recreational sport and rose in popularity during the 1980s, highlighted by the first-ever World Footbag Championship in 1980. 

The rules are simple: one player tosses the sack to another, beginning a rally where participants work together to keep it off the ground using any part of their body except their hands. Players add creativity through tricks and “stalls,” balancing the sack on areas such as their foot, chest, back and head.

Today, the game is enjoying a renewed wave of popularity. Thanks to social media, the spread of Hacky Sack has been rapid. Over the span of three weeks, many towns within the Northeast, including New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, have fallen in love with the sport once again.  

Randolph embodies that trend. Students from all grades come together during free time to “hack.” 

“I think Hacky Sack has come back because it’s such an easy game to learn, and you can play it anywhere,” sophomore Luka Madjor said. 

Most students play during gym or lunch. However, on any given day, parks in Randolph often feature circles of kids playing Hack. 

Contributing to the popularity of the sport is its significant presence on social media. TikTok and Instagram are filled with schools posting their best Hack rounds of the day. 

There are also Instagram accounts like NJ Sack, playing off the NJ Athletics account, that track Hacky Sack activity across New Jersey. In addition, some pages even create “rankings” of schools with the best Hacky Sack teams. 

“I think the ranking system creates healthy competition and gives people from different towns something in common,” senior Hacky Sack player Gavin Vichengrad said. 

The recent rise of Hacky Sack has brought many changes to the sport. However, these changes are beneficial as they help connect the game to this generation of players.