Dodge ball versus the fat kids, take one
If you have ever taken a gym class, you have played dodge ball. It may have been dressed up, stripped down, or renamed, but the game remains the same. War, kill-ball, avoid-the-ball, or by any other name, dodge ball is dodge ball. However, is it a fun childhood game, or the epitome of school-age pecking-order establishment? As I see it, it’s more than just play- it’s emotionally disabling, dangerous, and above all, violent.
The idea of a game of dodge ball is simple. A group of children is divided in half, forming two opposing teams. It is then that they rush forward to snatch rubber balls from the center of the gymnasium before the other team can capture them, then throwing the balls at the enemy team members. Simple in rule, but psychologically, our gym game takes on a whole new meaning. Feelings are bound to be hurt when teams are chosen, as the weaker, slower children are often the last to be picked. This invokes feelings of worthlessness and incompetence, as well as social ineptitude. Children may think they were chosen last because no one on the team likes them as a person, or perhaps the team leader has no faith in his or her ability to do well in the game. Dodge ball inadvertently excludes the slower, less agile students who need exercise the most. They are considered a bane upon their team- and prime targets for the other team. Faced with the choice between risking the throw of a ball on a fast target, as opposed to a sure-shot clumsy one, most children would go with the latter.
As a constant target, slower kids are subjected to more physical aggression than their nimbler team members. An air filled rubber play ball can inflict nasty injuries, such as red marks, bruises, split lips, and in rare cases broken bones if thrown hard enough. Most gym teachers enforce a “no shots above the shoulders” rule, but I have yet to see a game in which it has gone unbroken. A few minutes time out is well worth a good head shot to more aggressive children who do not fear the repercussions of their actions. This is especially true if personal vendettas are brought into the game. What better way to seek vengeance than in a game which not only allows, but encourages inflicting physical harm upon fellow students? There are often no safety zones to which children may run for protection, thus increasing the odds of injury.
Encouraging violence in a seemingly harmless gym game in current times seems to be retroactive. We strive to teach our children to love one another, to accept each others differences, and to be peaceful people, but at the same time, we nurture their destructive sides with this game. Otherwise docile children are encouraged to pelt their friends with balls in the name of sport and fun. Why do we continue to do this?
Many schools have banned the playing of dodge ball and all of its other forms in hopes of decreasing violence amongst students. Elementary students are considered to be the most likely to be seriously affected by the game, both psychologically and physically. Their small, developing bodies are more apt to sustain serious injuries. A girl in New York broke her elbow while playing dodge ball and doctors are now worried that the damage to the bone’s growth plates will permanently stunt her growth. Also, young students may take nothing away from the game other than the thought that violence is okay, revenge is necessary, and that the world is constantly in a state of “me against them”
How should this be remedied? One option is to create an environment in which participation in the game is strictly voluntary, where participation has no affect on the student’s grade. Students would be required to change into their daily gym wear, but would have the option to sit out the game, safely positioned on the sidelines. This would eliminate the stress placed on students to meet their teammate’s expectations and win the game. However, this plan may backfire in that by voluntarily excluding themselves, students may become alienated from their classmates. Is a slow child better off being constantly tagged out in dodge ball, or always being on the sidelines on their own free will? This may just become an issue where educators demand students “suck it up”- they’ve made as many provisions and exceptions as possible for the child, and perhaps it would be best to toughen up a bit.
A second option is that dodge ball is completely banned from educational
institutions. This would eliminate debate over what to do with those who may seem persecuted by the game, and save schools from liability issues concerning injuries sustained in the game. I personally think this would be the best solution for middle- and elementary schools. High school students are responsible enough to know what is best for them, but younger children often place so much faith in their teachers that they wouldn’t even consider something they were instructed to do might hurt them, or their classmates. If dodge ball were eliminated from the lower grade levels, children would have more time to play games that promoted equality and usefulness of each team member. These would make kids feel good about themselves, and encourage them in their other studies. I know that as young child, I did better in my post-gym classes after I’d had a productive day of running or ‘parachute games’ with Mrs. Newvine. The days in which we competed to see who could do the most pull ups jump the highest, and climb the furthest on the rope were my all-time lows. Since I couldn’t complete these tasks, I felt like a lesser person that my more athletic classmates. The elimination of dodge ball would be one step closer to eradicating the hatred and dread gym class brings to slower children.
The idea of a game of dodge ball is simple. A group of children is divided in half, forming two opposing teams. It is then that they rush forward to snatch rubber balls from the center of the gymnasium before the other team can capture them, then throwing the balls at the enemy team members. Simple in rule, but psychologically, our gym game takes on a whole new meaning. Feelings are bound to be hurt when teams are chosen, as the weaker, slower children are often the last to be picked. This invokes feelings of worthlessness and incompetence, as well as social ineptitude. Children may think they were chosen last because no one on the team likes them as a person, or perhaps the team leader has no faith in his or her ability to do well in the game. Dodge ball inadvertently excludes the slower, less agile students who need exercise the most. They are considered a bane upon their team- and prime targets for the other team. Faced with the choice between risking the throw of a ball on a fast target, as opposed to a sure-shot clumsy one, most children would go with the latter.
As a constant target, slower kids are subjected to more physical aggression than their nimbler team members. An air filled rubber play ball can inflict nasty injuries, such as red marks, bruises, split lips, and in rare cases broken bones if thrown hard enough. Most gym teachers enforce a “no shots above the shoulders” rule, but I have yet to see a game in which it has gone unbroken. A few minutes time out is well worth a good head shot to more aggressive children who do not fear the repercussions of their actions. This is especially true if personal vendettas are brought into the game. What better way to seek vengeance than in a game which not only allows, but encourages inflicting physical harm upon fellow students? There are often no safety zones to which children may run for protection, thus increasing the odds of injury.
Encouraging violence in a seemingly harmless gym game in current times seems to be retroactive. We strive to teach our children to love one another, to accept each others differences, and to be peaceful people, but at the same time, we nurture their destructive sides with this game. Otherwise docile children are encouraged to pelt their friends with balls in the name of sport and fun. Why do we continue to do this?
Many schools have banned the playing of dodge ball and all of its other forms in hopes of decreasing violence amongst students. Elementary students are considered to be the most likely to be seriously affected by the game, both psychologically and physically. Their small, developing bodies are more apt to sustain serious injuries. A girl in New York broke her elbow while playing dodge ball and doctors are now worried that the damage to the bone’s growth plates will permanently stunt her growth. Also, young students may take nothing away from the game other than the thought that violence is okay, revenge is necessary, and that the world is constantly in a state of “me against them”
How should this be remedied? One option is to create an environment in which participation in the game is strictly voluntary, where participation has no affect on the student’s grade. Students would be required to change into their daily gym wear, but would have the option to sit out the game, safely positioned on the sidelines. This would eliminate the stress placed on students to meet their teammate’s expectations and win the game. However, this plan may backfire in that by voluntarily excluding themselves, students may become alienated from their classmates. Is a slow child better off being constantly tagged out in dodge ball, or always being on the sidelines on their own free will? This may just become an issue where educators demand students “suck it up”- they’ve made as many provisions and exceptions as possible for the child, and perhaps it would be best to toughen up a bit.
A second option is that dodge ball is completely banned from educational
institutions. This would eliminate debate over what to do with those who may seem persecuted by the game, and save schools from liability issues concerning injuries sustained in the game. I personally think this would be the best solution for middle- and elementary schools. High school students are responsible enough to know what is best for them, but younger children often place so much faith in their teachers that they wouldn’t even consider something they were instructed to do might hurt them, or their classmates. If dodge ball were eliminated from the lower grade levels, children would have more time to play games that promoted equality and usefulness of each team member. These would make kids feel good about themselves, and encourage them in their other studies. I know that as young child, I did better in my post-gym classes after I’d had a productive day of running or ‘parachute games’ with Mrs. Newvine. The days in which we competed to see who could do the most pull ups jump the highest, and climb the furthest on the rope were my all-time lows. Since I couldn’t complete these tasks, I felt like a lesser person that my more athletic classmates. The elimination of dodge ball would be one step closer to eradicating the hatred and dread gym class brings to slower children.