Yes, this is a game we played as children.
No, it is not a child’s game.
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This is a sport where grown men can throw a rubber ball 80 MPH at any given moment, and yes, faces are always in the danger zone (see 1:03-1:10 below).
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I play on teams ranging from 6-20 in roster size, and yes, the strategies drastically change as does the competition level. This is a sport that has national and international tournaments where prizes can range from simple trophies and bragging rights to $100,000 in cash, and yes, sometimes there are characters in this game who make Ben Stiller’s character from Dodgeball look normal.
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For all of its greatness as a sport and silliness as a culture, there is one aspect of the game that rises above all the others as its biggest differentiator: the Honor System.
Until there is enough money in the game to have 360 degree instant replay, there will never be enough technology to confidently referee every single out. This means that the biggest moments of every game are almost entirely dependent on players taking their own outs.
There is no other sport I am aware of that regularly demands players to police themselves. Golf has the “you accidentally moved the ball” gentleman’s rule. Soccer and Basketball have the flop (or lack thereof as an indicator of integrity). Football has a thousand referees on and off the field with cameras. Baseball is so regulated that there’s no chance for players to manipulate the game. Dodgeball… the refs can catch the blatant plays, but there are a lot of nicks that are basically up to the players.
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Some players take their outs – even the borderline ones, and some don’t. This is one of the ways that the court reveals character.
But there are a thousand other small ways the court shows a player’s true integrity. How someone accepts an out, for instance – begrudgingly or respectfully. How people support their surrounding teammates. How players respond to a questioning by an opponent. How people choose their teammates. How people celebrate. All of these factors reveal the character of any given player.
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I have grown up playing sports and I’d like to think my integrity runs deep. Even so, every single match forces me to check in with that integrity multiple times – not for the good of the team, not for the sanctity of the game – for my own character.
Just like John Wooden always said, “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
In this way, there is no sport I’ve found that’s quite like Dodgeball.
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If you’re interested in testing your character, there are many great organizations out there that host games near you… I play as part of the World Dodgeball Society and Elite Dodgeball (and a few other tourneys here and there). I have zero stake in any of these companies.