Mr. [Neil] Williams [chairman of the Health and Physical Education Department at Eastern Connecticut State University] dubs dodge ball as the worst remnant of games that a new breed of physical education teachers and health educators say provide little in the way of fitness conditioning and inappropriately use people as targets. Other offenders that share the not-so-flattering spotlight include Duck, Duck, Goose and Red Rover. "Dodge ball is one of those games that encourages aggression and the strong picking on the weak," said Mr. Williams.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission's estimate for dodgeball injuries in 1999 was 2,926, about the same as for injuries from electric corn poppers and considerably less than that for keychains. One is eight times more likely to be injured while bowling, 16 times more likely while playing golf, 33 times more likely from in-line skating, and even eight times more likely to be injured simply by sitting in the bleachers while watching a game.
Dodgeball's most visible critic, Williams also opposes the game of Kickball because it puts "the batter on display for embarrassment in front of all of the rest of the class"; Musical Chairs because failing to find a seat causes a child to feel "embarrassed and punished"; Steal the Bacon because it resembles a "Roman gladiator contest"; and Simon Says because it employs "teacher deception." In their place, Williams suggests relatively noncompetitive pursuits such as fishing, dart-throwing, and motor-boating—activities he admits for adults "do happen to coincide with drinking beer."
Writing in the Weekly Standard, Matt Labash notes that what
once was once known simply as Physical
Education has matured into a far more expansive discipline,
alternately referred to as "kinesiology," "human biodynamics," and
"leisure science." A great deal of discourse within the field is
critical of the supposed benefits of competition.
Terry Orlick, a sports psychologist at the University of Ottawa, advocates replacing Musical Chairs with a game called Cooperative Musical Hugs; when the music stops, children hug each other. King of the Mountain is to be replaced with People of the Mountain. He also suggests playing with imaginary equipment such as racketless tennis, or playing "strike-outless baseball." "Who said, 'Three strikes and you're out,' anyway?" asks Orlick. "I don't think it was God. So why not just eliminate the possibility?"
John Hichwa, a middle school P.E. teacher, advises that students use make-believe jump ropes. Marianne Torbert of Temple University suggests replacing Simon Says with a game called Birds Fly, in which kids try not to get caught flapping their wings when the teacher calls out the name of a non-flying animal. Of course, children stay in the game if they screw up. Torbert attributes numerous fitness benefits to this game, ranging from "thinking processes" and self control to "shoulder girdle development."
[Ed.: An aquaintence reports that at his son's pricey Montessori school in suburban Boston, Tug of War has been changed to Tug of Peace. This new game consists of " 'Please, take the rope.' 'Oh no, I couldn't, please, you take the rope.' 'No, please, I insist, you take the rope...' " And so on. Incidentally, the boy says he plays the game better than anybody else, and certainly better than any of the girls.
Perhaps related, the Centers for Disease Control reports that the number of children who are overweight has doubled in the last 30 years. Some P.E. theorists speculate that this is because they have become disengaged from a system overly focused on competition.]
