The Continued Pussification of American Youth

[Zeek]

More schools banning games like tag and touch football at recess. Apparently they're too rough. God, this makes me sick. I can remember going to recess and playing huge games of "Smear the Queer" and football. Those were the days...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-06-26-recess-bans_x.htm

 

[Flash]

Did they ever institute the rule 'no throwing at the head' for dodgeball? I think, even if it was a rule, we went for the head anyway.

 

[Zeek]

Did they ever institute the rule 'no throwing at the head' for dodgeball? I think, even if it was a rule, we went for the head anyway.

If you hit someone in the head, you're out.  At least that's how we played it...

 

[The Big Ragu]

Only thing I remember, and my memory is a bit hazy, is that "if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball."

 

[dog428]

Good God, the banning of these sports is ridiculous. You don't want your little angel to play, write a damn note, go talk to the instructor. But dammit, banning them for everyone is simply insane.

The same goes for these sports leagues where no score is kept. WTF? We recently had a couple of these pop up in my city. They didn't last, thank God. What are these people thinking about? It's not good for a kid to lose -- ever?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news for all these parents, but if you prohibit your child from ever doing anything remotely dangerous, never allow them to lose and attempt to protect them from everything that could be harmful, you're gonna have one seriously, seriously screwed up kid on your hands. I hope you love that little ****, 'cause something tells me you're gonna be housing and feeding his ass well into his 30s.

 

[Idaho]

The same goes for these sports leagues where no score is kept. WTF? We recently had a couple of these pop up in my city. They didn't last, thank God. What are these people thinking about? It's not good for a kid to lose -- ever?

I'm proud to say my little girls' t-ball team won 33-27 last night. They also made some really nice looking piles of dirt while playing third base and not watching the batter.

We're 5-0-1 so far with three more games to play.

I, on the other hand, played on some really, really bad little league baseball teams. I also finished way in the back of the field when I ran high school cross country. I got off the bench in only half of the basketball games my senior year and scored 1.3 points per game. I think I turned out OK, but hope my girls don't think they get a hit every time they bat in the future.

 

[doubledown68]

I played for the world's worst little league baseball team. We got thumped by two or three touchdowns on a regular basis. I can't remember a game where we were even within 10 runs of winning.

Don't know if I'm better for it, but it makes me savor any win, even a rec-league softball win, a little more.

 

[JR]

Since when did tag & touch football constitute "dangerous" activities?

There was one year when my kid played on a hockey team (Minor Peewee, 11 year olds). They went 0-42 for the season. The York Toros organization never recovered.

Didn't tie a game. Didn't win a pre-season game or a single game in the three tournaments they played in.

 

[Zeek]

I played for the world's worst little league baseball team. We got thumped by two or three touchdowns on a regular basis. I can't remember a game where we were even within 10 runs of winning.

Don't know if I'm better for it, but it makes me savor any win, even a rec-league softball win, a little more.

Same here.  I played Little Leauge for three years and we never won a game.  

 

[21]

Zeek--I promise if anyone showed up on my playground and calls me or my girlfriends a *****, I would kick their ass so hard they would land three counties to the east.

Find a new insult, would ya? If Ozzie can learn, so can we all.

 

[Gold]

The same goes for these sports leagues where no score is kept. WTF? We recently had a couple of these pop up in my city. They didn't last, thank God. What are these people thinking about? It's not good for a kid to lose -- ever?

I'm proud to say my little girls' t-ball team won 33-27 last night. They also made some really nice looking piles of dirt while playing third base and not watching the batter.

We're 5-0-1 so far with three more games to play.

It's not whether you win or lose that counts, it's how play with the piles of dirt.

 

[poindexter]

I thought this was another thread about America's youth getting more trim than I did as a youth.

 

[Gold]

I could see not allowing dodgeball. That is a stupid game - a friend's son sprained his wrist and couldn't play baseball - a real sport - for two weeks.

The other games are needed for kids to get exercise. Kids can usually manage to work things out better than adults.

 

[Idaho]

I could see not allowing dodgeball.  That is a stupid game - a friend's son sprained his wrist and couldn't play baseball - a real sport - for two weeks.   

Tell you friend's kid he can sprain a wrist wanking, too.

 

[goalmouth]

My fondest memories from grammar school were of playing Kill the Guy with the Ball, with about 40 people chasing some unlucky ******* through the schoolyard, and burying him under the most ungodly dogpile of pre-teen flesh you ever laid eyes on, while some ignatz tossed in dirt, rocks, dead animals and whatever other ghastly debris he could find nearby.

 

[poindexter]

How'd he sprain a wrist playing dodgeball?

Dodgeball is one of the great all-time games. I think my kid's elementary school plays some pussified scaled down version.

 

[dog428]

I would bet that there aren't many sports out there that provide as much excercise as dodgeball.

Think about it. Pretty much everybody in the game is in constant motion. You're running back and forth and cutting from side to side the entire time. It has to be absolutely wonderful for developing hand-eye coordination and balance.

When we played, we didn't use the rubber balls, instead they were made of some sort of heavy foam rubber. You could still sling 'em fine, but they didn't leave that red welp and it didn't hurt if you took a shot to the noggin.

 

[Beef03]

I swear some parents won't be happy until their kids grow up living in a padded room. You know? getting hurt is part of growing up. Trips to the emergency room because of a broken arm or sprained ankle are part of growing up. You learn to deal with ****. You learn to deal with pain.


**** at my elementary school in Calgary we played a game called Hot Ass - where there'd be about a dozen or so of us throwing a tennis ball or hard bouncy ball against the side of the school. if you fumbled the ball on the rebound you had to go stand facing the wall with your back facing everyone as each person got to whip the ball at you as hard as they could once.

Do they still allow kids to play Red Rover?

 

[Ben_Hecht]

Zeek -- We called it "Kill The Kid" . . . and we were as politically incorrect as can be imagined.

 

[dog428]

I swear some parents won't be happy until their kids grow up living in a padded room. You know? getting hurt is part of growing up. Trips to the emergency room because of a broken arm or sprained ankle are part of growing up. You learn to deal with ****. You learn to deal with pain.


**** at my elementary school in Calgary we played a game called Hot Ass - where there'd be about a dozen or so of us throwing a tennis ball or hard bouncy ball against the side of the school. if you fumbled the ball on the rebound you had to go stand facing the wall with your back facing everyone as each person got to whip the ball at you as hard as they could once.

Do they still allow kids to play Red Rover?

Not only does it teach you to deal with **** and deal with pain, it teaches you not to do whatever it was that led to that pain.

Kind of like my dad's philosophy: Let him do it, he'll learn.

Don't wanna get hit in the head playing dodgeball? Keep your head up and pay attention.

Don't wanna get hurt playing touch football? Learn how to play.

Don't wanna get electrocuted? Don't stick the penny in the outlet again.