Nintendo & Mario, the legendary association between the plumber and the company is always productive for both parts. The chubby Italian has been used for any type of genre, even Mario could have been the star in a Volleyball/Wrestling game produced by Next Level Games (Super Mario Strikers), but the game was canned:
That style evokes me to a dodgeball game more than a volleyball one.
Apparently, Nintendo turned down to publish Super Mario Spikers because of the game clashed with their “code of honor”. It’s late, I am too tired to comment that.
Thanks, DualShockers. Creddits to Unseen64.