Gym classes across the country are missing a vital game in the curriculum. A game that fosters quick decision-making, intense physical activity, and essential team camaraderie. Instead, we do activities such as the pacer test, which engages only one of the three previously listed aspects and is disliked by the majority of students. Instead of taking to the line and waiting for a beep to run back and forth, we should split the class in half, each taking to a side of the gymnasium. As the whistle blows, each kid rushes to the center, grabs a ball, and prepares for a competitive, athletic game of good old-fashioned dodgeball. 

Dodgeball dates back to 1884, when an American student from Yale visited St Mary’s College in England. He discovered the game we know today, adapted it for the American school environment, and even introduced the idea of splitting the court with teams on both sides. The “one hit and you’re out” rule, along with the “catch brings a player in” rule, were adopted around 1905. It quickly spread around the country, seen as an affordable and fun way to foster positive physical education for students around the US. Involving throwing, catching, team building, and hand-eye coordination, dodgeball checked every box and was easy to learn. 

Dodgeball carries more than meets the eye. At first glance, it may seem simple, but in actuality, it does more good for us than many understand. Dodgeball’s quick burst moments are a great form of anaerobic exercise. This directly improves cardiovascular health by lowering blood pressure and pulse, improving circulation, and burning calories. Players have to make quick direction changes, improving agility and balance during their time on the court. A dodgeball court is approximately 30 feet across, and with players’ main task being throwing large balls to hit other players, it builds strength in the shoulders, back, arms, abs, and muscle endurance. To list just a few more positives, dodgeball develops fast reflexes, builds teamwork, improves flexibility, and even promotes weight loss with the fast play and movement being a primary calorie burner.

“It allows kids to have social awareness,” freshman Xavier Janecek said. “You look out for consequences that could happen at any second.”  

During the 20th century, many began to criticize the sport, starting with small things, such as the game being elimination-based. Critics believed that by eliminating players and having them sit out, they were missing out on physical education. As the years went on, the critiques got more intense, with dodgeball getting the nickname of “legalized bullying.” Many believed that dodgeball allowed the stronger, more popular students to humiliate and target their less coordinated peers. Around 2004, dodgeball became more popular with adults, even forming a professional league (The NDL). Though contrastingly, during this time, it began seeing bans within the school system, starting in states like Maine and Massachusetts, and eventually spreading to more and more states across the country. 

Dodgeball’s solvable cons overshadow its greatly positive effects. For example, although the sport is elimination-based, if a player on the court catches the ball, someone who is “out” is allowed to re-enter the court. Along with that, the average match takes around three to five minutes, making it quick for players who were eliminated to come back into the game if nobody happened to catch a ball. While many say dodgeball is the problem when it comes to targeting certain people and being aggressive, that’s a behavior problem, not the game, and can occur with any sport or activity. 

”Dodgeball is so fun and shows our athleticism and competition,” senior Layth Elhelou said.

Shielding children from conflict is detrimental, and prioritizing emotional comfort over toughness and athletic skill is all around negative. By removing a game and calling it legalized bullying because students “feel bad,” we are preventing them from developing coping mechanisms. Creating a soft culture leads us more in a direction where the future generations’ mental toughness plummets. 

Do not ban a game for problems it does not create. Bring back a game that builds community and character. Bring back dodgeball.