Dodgeball (aka Deathball): A Brief History

The History of Fun

Vox Media Podcast Network

Film Reviews, Tv & Film, Hobbies, Video Games, Leisure

4.8 • 605 Ratings

🗓️ 11 December 2017

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On today's episode, Allegra takes the reigns and walks Russ and Chris through the dangerous origins of the game most known as Dodgeball. Where did it come from? Who is fighting against it? Why was Chris Plante such a target in elementary school? All will be revealed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, and welcome to another episode of The History of Fun where we explore the hidden backstories behind the things you love to do.
0:16.0	I am Russ Frustick, and I am joined by Chris Plant and Allegra Frank.
0:19.7	And Allegra, you are today's expert. We are going to be exploring something new and different. What have you brought for us? Yeah, this is a hot, hot new little sport. It's called Dodgeball. I don't know if you've heard of it. Of course, I've heard of it. I played it. I'm very nimble. I've seen the movie. Vince Vaughn. Vince Vaughn. So I would like to say, I'm going to preface this. I was very bad. No, I was very good at Dodgeball because I was very good at hiding. Yeah, that was my skill as well. I'm very nimble.
0:54.5	Yes.
0:53.1	I think we probably had similar childhoods. We're very gangly, awkward children, I imagine. Yeah, not much with the brute strength, but from a sprightly standpoint. I'm sorry, where do you hide? It's an open field. You hide behind other people. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes. And you play defense and strategy and stuff like that.
1:14.2	Chris Pine, I feel like that would be your milieu as well. Yeah. I was tough. It was nails.
1:17.9	Really? You went front line, vanguard of dogball? I didn't hide. I just stood as far back as
1:23.4	possible because my logic was that like the ball would get slower the further it had
1:27.3	travel.
1:28.2	It's called physics.
1:30.9	Well, the thing about hiding, like what Russ and I would do is that you often end up being
1:35.7	the last person on your team, which means everyone's pelting you.
1:39.5	So I spent much of my childhood just constantly being pelted by like seven balls at once.
1:45.4	Yeah.
1:45.7	So I feel like now I understand the game and I am vindicated by my knowledge.
1:51.3	So becoming an expert is me taking ownership of dodgeball.
1:54.8	Okay.
1:55.2	I didn't realize that you had the research to know that like you would be last if you didn't throw the ball and you just hid behind people.
2:01.2	But go ahead.
2:04.1	Okay.
2:04.7	So Dodgeball did not start in America, even though it's such an American staple, I think.
2:11.2	It actually has its origins far, far away.
	...

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