Why Dodge Ball Is Good For You

Time on line ^ | May 17, 2001 | Lance Morrow

[zook]

Why Dodge Ball Is Good For You The moral component of the playground game By LANCE MORROW

Thursday, May. 17, 2001 Let's discuss the dodge ball problem for a moment.

A headline in TIME this week alerts us: SCOURGE OF THE PLAYGROUND. The subhead reads, "It's dodge ball, believe it of not. More schools are banning the childhood game, saying it's too violent." Tamala Edwards' article reports that "in a growing number of school districts in such states as Texas, Virginia, Maine, and Massachusetts, circles of kids dodging and throwing balls at one another have been banned from gym class...Opponents warn that dodge ball — also called murder ball and killer ball in some places — could be an incubator for later aggressive, even violent behavior."

[click above for full article)

[zook]

Rush mentioned dodge ball a few minutes ago. I just wanted Freepers to know that the game is still played at my daughter's *public* elementary school, a place where they still sing patriotic songs like "God Bless America," etc.

[gathersnomoss]

"More schools are banning the childhood game, saying it's too violent."

In other news, a British school district is teaching oral sex as a form of contraception. You are dodging balls one way or the other.

[cavan]

"You are dodging balls one way or the other."

Maybe the rule is:
"One ball-bad
two balls-good"?

[Riley]

Dodge-Ball was great for me, it allowed me to form a thick pad of callous on my head.

[carton253]

When I was in school, it was called artillery... and was my absolute favorite...expect for hit pin kick ball.

[skinkinthegrass]

a British school district is teaching oral sex as a form of contraception. You are dodging balls one way or the other.

hehehe..LOL!..Except in MA. :/

[zook]

In jr. high and high school we called it "Beano."

But I just have to tell you all how happy I was when my 4th grader came home and told me they played dodge ball in gym class.

[gathersnomoss]

Yeah, they seem to need a license in order to legitimize their chin music. Lawyers kids need shoes too.

[Constitution Day]

When the weather was bad, we played dodgeball in the gym.
When it was good, we played 'Smear the Queer', a.k.a. 'Kill the man with the football' out on the playground.

[dc27]

Smear the queer was one on the best games ever.

[TheBigB]

We called it Bombardment in Jr. High.

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

Meanwhile, Boortz has linked to a story indicating that dodgeball is gaining in popularity among adults.

[Constitution Day]

Wasn't it ever!

[biblewonk]

We played a game once called El-lumpo. It was this militant substitute gym teacher that had us play it. Imagine, if you will, 4 dodge balls, 50ish students, no teams, no boundaries, and no outs!!! There were guys laying down as people would slam them with balls and the ball would bounce back to the thrower and he'd throw it again. You really found out who was not popular.

[sean327]

I would love to see a professional Dodge Ball league!!!
Dodge ball was one of my favorite things to play during PE in junior high.
Have any of you seen the commercial with Randy Johnson throwing dodge balls? I think it's a shaving cream commercial. I wouldn't want to be on the recieving end of his throws!!!

[joesnuffy]

We called it "battle ball" when I was a kid....and it was my favorite indoor phy ed game...
used to look forward to recess all morning...on the days I knew we would play......

What a great release for the boredome of grade school...and winter...

[CJ Wolf]

This is start of a new media campaign because of THIS!

[GSWarrior]

Dodge ball is cool....Tetherball, on the other hand, served no useful purpose other than to humiliate me on the playground. Let's ban it now!

[nothingnew]

My take on it is that the wimmins and the wimpy men don't want any games to be plyed that involves balls. "If we can't have them, nobody can!"

FMCDH