Re:How Dodgeball Became America's Most Demonized Sport
by JoeAltmaier on Friday April 18, 2014 @11:30AM
(#7609558)
I was a timid child, and feared dodgeball. I think I could have overcome it if we'd just had a throwing drill, paired up and threw until we were comfortable with the process. Then I'd have enjoyed it.
The fact that some young people stress out over dodgeball doesn't mean its evil; it means they need to work through that fear. Much more valuable than just avoiding it.
Maybe if the kid dealing with his parents divorce got to play dodgeball in second period he'd be able to calmly sit and pay attention in third and fourth.
Maybe if the victim could punch his bully once without fear of zero-tolerance policies suspending/expelling him, the problem wouldn't continue to build until they snap and do something drastic or more often, just develop lasting social/emotional issues.
Dodgeball was a fun part of grade school. We had a rule that you couldn't throw the ball at someone's head. I never saw an injury and the best players on the opposite team were more likely to be targeted than the weakest.