My Dodgeball Rant

Dodgeball, the childhood game we all know and love, is in danger. A number of extremist, over protective parents, and bitter dodgeballers of the past are out to get the classic gym pastime. And what are their reasons for banning the game in schools? It is physically and emotionally dangerous. Well so is the rest of the world. So are kickball, football, hockey, welding, and professional eating competitions. Kids are going to have to grow up sometime and you better hope that dodgeball is the least of their worries. If parents so worried about dodgeball I can't imagine how worried they will be when their kids are old enough to be involved in drugs, alcohol, and sex. Now new, hip, gym teachers are moving to make physical education a class devoted completely to personal physical fitness. Explain to me how dodgeball isn't a sufficient form physical fitness. You run, you throw, you catch, you dodge. Its not like I'm saying its the only game you can play in gym class. You can have all your new fancy modes of physical fitness, but why not play some dodgeball every now and then. I mean come on, it's fun.

Just the Facts

- The Los Angeles Dodgeball Society lures almost 400 people to its games which are held twice a week.

- The oldest American dodgeball league is the International Dodgeball Federation at 10 years.

- Out of 500 of Chris Harrigan's elementary PE students in Oslo, Florida, 90 percent vote for dodgeball when asking them to choose one game. The remaining 10 percent expressed that they did not want to be in Physical education at all.

- Changes have been made by those who play the game in school. Large red balls have been replaced with small soft ones.

- Dodgeball is experiencing new growth in recent years thanks to the release of the 2004 comedy film, "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story".

- In New York a school was sued by the mother of a girl who was injured when she became tangled with another girl and fell, breaking her elbow all while playing dodgeball.

- Dodgeball leagues have tournaments for all ages, including elementary school students, and even above those in their 20s and 30s.

- Vanity Fair has dodgeball the "in" party sport.

- Neil Williams, an Eastern Connecticut State University physical education professor, is the leading critic of dodgeball. He has created a P.E. Hall of Shame with dodgeball as its number one offender.

- Dodgeball takes strength, agility, and hand-eye coordination.

What the Experts Say

It is hard to say what exactly defines an expert in dodgeball. Those who run leagues or play in leagues are certainly experts but often will be bias in favor the sport. Therefore it seems to come down to physical education teachers and directors where there is a large split. Here are some of the various quotes defending both sides from the experts.

Bill DePue vice president of the National Amateur Dodgeball Association says, "It's a great workout, great for hand-eye coordination, develops agility, and teamwork too."

Bill Bender a PE teacher in Washington says, "You look at the competition, you find the weakness in their presentation, and you exploit it. It's not really a whole lot different from regular life."

Neil Williams of Eastern Connecticut State University wrote in his report, the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, that dodgeball was the "charter inductee" in his "Physical Education Hall of Fame." He declared it "self-defeating, because the students who are in the greatest need of skill development are immediately banished, embarrassed and punished, and then given no opportunity to improve. He also said, "the game is a litigation action waiting to happen."

In an extreme analogy, Ronald Kamm, a leading sports psychiatrist, wrote, "In a time of terrorism, when we are all targets, it gives us a chance to play out our fears. We are both hunter and prey in the game and we can master our fears in small quantities."

Rusty Walker, president of the Los Angeles Dodgeball Society says, "Everyone knows dodgeball is athletic -- it takes skills and energy."

Physical Fitness and Promotion of Teamwork

Another of the many arguments in favor of dodgeball is the way it enhances physical ability. It increases agility, hand-eye coordination, and overall endurance. It also teaches the basic skills of throwing and catching a ball. If a child does not excel in dodgeball then this should only compel them to further increase their physical strength to become better and allow themselves to stay in the game longer. For those who feel gym should be more focused on fitness and believe that dodgeball does not do this, they should realized dodgeball is not the only game played in physical education classes and should be held wholly responsible for their children's fitness. Also, this is as much the parents responsibility as it is the gym teacher's.
Dodgeball also promotes teamwork and strategy. It is a team sport that is just as available as football, soccer, or baseball. It is often that those who are less athletic and could not make the teams for these sports are the ones who play, and love, dodgeball. Overall the game just has many positive benefits.

Dodgeball Teaches Life Lessons

It is hard to chose which subtopic is strongest in supporting dodgeball, but this one is definitely up there. There is no hiding from competition, from winning and losing, or from being hurt physically or emotionally in life. Believe me, it is ideal that a child should uphold his or her innocence for as long as possible, but this just is not the way life works. There are strong and there are weak in the world and why not let children discover this at school playing dodgeball? It sure beats discovering it at a later point in life when you don't get into the school you won't, don't get the job you applied for, or lose something else that really matters. It may seem harsh to say, but most of the people against dodgeball are the ones who were not good at it back when they were in school. It's a tough world out there and dodgeball teaches you the basics of how to compete in it. The world is full of competition and, like in dodgeball, you must must overcome your opponents by exploiting their weaknesses.

Pro and Con

Those who feel dodgeball should be banned from schools argue that the violent game causes not only physical harm, but emotional harm as well. This can come from being the last person picked, for a team, the first person out, or just from being bullied by stronger children. The game, they say, promotes bullying by allowing the strong to pick on the weak. The con side also believes that dodgeball has no educational value and there is no physical benefit for those who need it for they are always to first to be eliminated from the game.

The pro side on the other hand sees that dodgeball is healthy way for students to release energy under strict adult supervision. They point out that the game has been modified so no one gets out and, by use of smaller foam balls, there is now little chance to be physically hurt. Dodgeball also provides a form of physical exercise in which kids may also have fun. It is also a motivational sport that promotes teamwork and urges children to better themselves physically. Also, bullying can be dealt with in other ways besides banning an enjoyable and beneficial game.

Topic Overview

There is a large controversy surrounding the classic gym class activity dodgeball. Many agitated parents and children feel the game is violent and leads to physical and emotional harm. They argue that dodgeball is game in which the strong are given an excuse to pick on the weak and further promotes bullying. Because of this they feel it should be banned from school gym classes. They offer other arguments on how it has no educational value, and point out that there are one thousand other games kids could play in gym class.

The fact is though, while dodgeball is a violent game, it releases this violence in a controlled way and promotes extremely positive values. Dodgeball is a great form of physical activity for kids to release their energy and violence. It is much better from them to do so in a gym class in a positive and controlled environment with a teacher then to do so unsupervised. The game provides exercise to keep kids in good physical shape. This constructive physical activity also promotes teamwork in a fun and motivational manner. Also, in the subject of bullying, if we shelter our children now, how will they know how to deal with it when it happens in real life?
Overall dodgeball actually provides serious advantages and should most definitely be kept in the curriculum for physical education.