Kickball Deemed Unhealthy

Posted by: on Apr 20, 2011 | 3 Comments

What a load of horse manure the NY legislature is attempting to dump on the Empire State now….or should I say again? They have decided that activities such as kickball, tag, red rover and wiffle ball “pose a significant risk of injury.” What’s next?  Are they going to ban children under the age of 16 from walking?

When I was growing up, not only did we play kickball, we played it in the street! I know…shocking (dripping with sarcasm). And, to the best of my knowledge, we all lived and suffered no ill effects from this dangerous combination. None of my kickball komrades were damaged physically or psychologically from the effects of kickball in the street. Of course, some of them weren’t very good at it and were ridiculed for that (mostly by me) but I don’t think that’s the concern here.

And what’s the problem with wiffle ball? It’s a hollow, aerated plastic ball hit with a hollow plastic bat. The obvious problem with tag is that it forces children to run around, touch each other in person (as opposed to be “poked” on the internet) and socially interact, not to mention the obvious side effects of breathing in fresh air and burning off calories. Can’t have that now can we (more sarcasm).

Pretty obvious to me that this is another case of politicians running amok so that their lawyer type friends can find more reasons to sue people and they can get their names in the media to prove they are actually doing something, even if it’s moronic. Why tackle the serious problems of helping survivors of they myriad of natural disasters that have recently occurred, education, the environment, taxes, poverty, hunger, war, famine, floods, locusts (sorry about that one but I have Passover, Exodus and Charlton Heston on the brain) when you can waste taxpayers time and money? Is a new law banning/limiting children’s games that have been played for decades and decades really going going to make the world a better place? Hell no…and who and how would these new regulations be enforced? They won’t, just another law, rule, regulation, whatever, that will become more a suggestion than an enforceable law but at least some politician will have their name on it so they can say “look what I did.” Makes me so sad to think this is the best we can do.

To my friends who live in NY State, I have a suggestion. Get a wiffle ball bat, put on a pair of really heavy shoes, find your nearest Albany politico type and play a game of kick-balls with them (find some other body part for the female of the species). Then take that wiffle ball bat and shove it where the sun don’t shine. Than maybe that elected official will make a sound worth listening to.

3 Comments

  1. Gina
    April 20, 2011

    It’s almost as though they are determined to take all play away from kids and have them be computer drones. I also played kickball in the street, and one of my first forays into negotiation was achieving agreement between the teams on which “interruption of game due to cars passing” would merit a do-over for the play interrupted.

    How can we have campaigns against childhood obesity and not have kids running around playing games? How can we have anti-bullying measures in schools and not give kids a safe outlet for their aggressions and the fight-flight response? I would love to be an invisible bystander in the homes of these people who come up with these rules.

  2. Julianne
    April 21, 2011

    That’s telling ’em. Tho I mist admit. To this Fay dodge ball scares me!!!!

  3. flora
    April 25, 2011

    Hi Ira,
    Run for office, your passion can be put to good use.
    Everyone loves you!
    flora