Getting Out of Dodge

Yes, dodgeball is bullying. Just ask any kid who suffered through gym class.

Breaking news from a team of Canadian researchers:

Dodgeball is the equivalent of “legalized bullying” and has no place in an educational setting.

That “Hallelujah” chorus you just heard was everyone who ever suffered through the hell known as gym class. We’re the ones who were forced to play games for which we were always picked last for a team (a sadistic practice in and of itself) and who still cringe at the memory of being singled out, mocked or attacked because of our lack of physical prowess.

And no gym class game was more torturous than dodgeball.

For those who aren’t familiar (or have managed to block the experience from their memory), dodgeball involves players forming two teams. Each team throws balls at the opposing team’s members with the objective of hitting them, all while trying to avoid the same fate. You’re usually dodging (hence the name) no less than six balls being hurled about at any given moment.

Sounds like fun, right?

There’s nothing fun about it unless something is warped within your soul. The game brings out the very worst in kids. I’ve seen it. I’ve lived it. With human nature being what it is, the ideal dodgeball target is anyone perceived as weaker…