I guess this is the right forum for this...
Recently, some schools (including my district) have started banning the games dodgeball and tag. Apparently, some kids didn't like the games, and complained to their mommies that they sucked at the game. Instead of teaching their kid how to survive in the real world, the parents got the games banned.

These articles are ones I found on Google, some are old.
Schools ban dodgeball from gym class Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The - Find Articles
Grade school bans tag, other games - Education - MSNBC.com

This is because the schools fear lawsuits. It is entirely possible that bones could get broken in these games (especially dodgeball; kids have a tendency to play games with whatever balls are handy, and most schools don't have the soft-covered volleyballs... I remember people playing dodgeball with fully inflated footballs.) and if that happens the parents could sue and win fairly easily.`

This overprotection of children only serves to leave them unprepared for adult life. It's counter-productive in the long run. Children are supposed to test boundries, both emotional and physical. You can't keep them in a padded room forever.

Instead of leaning to win they are taught not to compete. The same thing is happening with "field day". Instead of having competitions, now many schools award ribbons to everyone so that everyone "wins" and do non-competitive activities like egg tosses. This doesn't do much to prepare kids for life.

I raised my five children, who are all adults now, without competition, and they are all handleing life just fine. All five are mature, well adjusted, kind, compassionate human beings.

I'll bet they have played dodgeball at some point in their life, too :P

What does that have to do with the price of rice in china?

Everything.

How is dodgeball teaching kids how to survive in the real world, last time I checked dodgeball wasn't part of my daily routine as an adult.

Good point.

It is important for me to remember that these are teenagers taking a childs subject and attempting to turn it into an adult conversation. I don't even know why I posted in this thread to begin with.

All praise rjwood.

Dodgeball is a great game, we all grew up with it, and those of us who didn't suck at it, ran to the gym to play it.

It teaches you a few things, like hand eye coordination, team work, strategy... nothing any other organized sport can't teach you... but it only requires a basic set of rules, and a very simple set of equipment. In my school we used light white balls, the only way you'd get hurt is if it hit you right in the nuts... lucky for most, it never did. Kids who complain about this type of game have bigger problems... like self confidance issues. Granted, it's not for everyone, but it's not a negative game... the same goes for tag or any other game that gets kids to be active.

I didn't need to say what I said, pwill. My apologies.

I was terrible at sports in school, and I like dodgeball a lot more than "real" sports. If you're good at it, it's fun and easy, and if you're bad at it, well, you just get out pretty fast and then spend gym class chatting with your friends who are also bad at it. It's better than, say, soccer, where if you're bad at it you have to just stand there on the field and be miserable while people laugh at you because you suck.

This is awful, a really good example of a suits being used way to easily and often. Society needs non-wussies.. What if some calamity happens..
I doubt children can break each others bones by throwing balls at each other. More like that they fall and break bones that way. (but you can fall in neigh-every game...) Of course they should use soft balls..

Maybe dodgeball can be replaced with other things that teach the same things. I think those would be banned too, because of the nature of the lesson. If they are "left behind" in the game, it is good to encounter it in a game, rather then in real life..

I loved dodgeball and I was probably one of the weakest (physically) in school. I was taller than most though and usually that served well enough.

Near the end of grade school the only thing that changed is that boys and girls were eventually separated. I think out of 7 years of dodgeball we had all of three injuries, pretty good stats I think.

I think we need a new system of padded transport carts for kids in school. They can no longer be trusted to simply WALK their selves around. What if some one trips and has a nasty fall! Lawsuits would fly...

Next we need to do some thing about those insanely dangerous pencils.

That would cost to much we can just wrap the kids completely in foam so they are covered from head to toe then we don't have to worry about it. That way they are protected even when they are not in school.