NYDN
It’s come to this
That’s right, officials have decided the age-old street game – along with Wiffle Ball, kickball and dodgeball – poses a “significant risk of injury.”
And classics like Capture the Flag, Steal the Bacon and Red Rover are also deemed dangerous in new state regulations for day camps.
“It looks like Albany bureaucrats are looking for kids to just sit in a corner in a house all day and not be outside,” said state Sen. Patty Ritchie (R-St. Lawrence County).
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
…playing video games.
Hey, it’s more or less what I did.
Count to 10 on April 19, 2011 at 3:09 PM
“Hey Dad, I’m going out into the back yard!”
“Okay, buddy, put your helmet on first!”
“Whatever!”
fossten on April 19, 2011 at 3:12 PM
No stickball in the street with a piece of torn rubber and a length of thin wood, then? No, I thought not.
Wethal on April 19, 2011 at 3:12 PM
Rush calls it – “the chickification of America”
He’s right
jake-the-goose on April 19, 2011 at 3:13 PM
This law is designed to keep kids from playing at all so that New York can turn them all into, through indoctrination, fascists just like mom and dad.
Let them suffer. Maybe their parents can explain to them how their votes are the reason Jr. can’t kick a ball this summer.
madmonkphotog on April 19, 2011 at 3:13 PM
Let’s move!
JammieWearingFool on April 19, 2011 at 3:15 PM
The photo over there is funny.
And the nanny staters express concern over child obesity!
I noticed the column was talking about indoor camps, but informal, neighborhood pick-up games are great.
I pity the children of today who have no mother at home with them during the summer so that they can roam and play without being organized all the time. Our society has lost too much.
INC on April 19, 2011 at 3:15 PM
And then they wonder “why do kids sit inside all the time?”
Cuz you’ve outlawed fun.
lorien1973 on April 19, 2011 at 3:16 PM
New York: cutting off everyone’s balls.
catmman on April 19, 2011 at 3:16 PM
A friend of mine used to play a game called “knucks” where the contestants take turns trying to flay eachother’s knuckles with a sharp-edged comb or a deck of playing cards. Guess that’s out.
Seth Halpern on April 19, 2011 at 3:19 PM
The sound of hipsters’ hearts everywhere breaking.
Abby Adams on April 19, 2011 at 3:19 PM
If you can dodge a wrench you can dodge a ball.
SittingDeadRed on April 19, 2011 at 3:29 PM
When I was 11, broke my arm playing kickball on the 3rd day of summer vacation. Still had a fun summer, and no lasting lifelong trauma. Don’t know who to fell worse for: The kids who will miss out on a lot of summertime fun, or the idiot adults who think they’re making an difference in a childs life.
Tommy_G on April 19, 2011 at 3:30 PM
Next up: government-provided security systems installed in your house so all levels of government can “check up on you for your own safety and general welfare.”
.
“Stop doing that! We can SEE you!” – Government Monitor
ExpressoBold on April 19, 2011 at 3:33 PM
If kids never get hurt, how do they learn what not to do?
mbs on April 19, 2011 at 3:45 PM
There was an online poll:
…and 87% of people answered yes! That’s where I say “it’s come to this.” Not just the type who run schools, but the general public too? (We are doomed.)
Tzetzes on April 19, 2011 at 3:52 PM
I played kickball and Kick The Can and wiffle ball all summer long when I was little. My mom basically threw me out of the house at 8:00 a.m. and told me not to come home until lunchtime. Then I went back out and didn’t come home until dinner. I guess she really put me at risk all those years.
rockmom on April 19, 2011 at 3:56 PM
Ah, this is what it’s all about. Follow the money. *sniff sniff* I think I smell a rat.
MassVictim on April 19, 2011 at 4:00 PM
In 6th grade, kickball was the only sanctioned recess activity. We basically had a tournament between the homeroom classes and that is all we were allowed to do. I spent 3 months on crutches that year and was still allowed to play, even when I had a cast on. Nowadays they would probably wrap me in bubble-wrap and stick me in study hall.
How are our kids supposed to stay thin like Michelle wants them to if they can’t play? Maybe Obama can get them all government subsidized golf club memberships.
SittingDeadRed on April 19, 2011 at 4:02 PM
They’re just gonna have to rely on the government to protect them for the rest of their lives.
JetBoy on April 19, 2011 at 4:11 PM
The government would like to make a profit off looking after you. They will probably need a new office to handle the paper and cash, so it’s a job creator too!
BL@KBIRD on April 19, 2011 at 4:14 PM
Don’t put too much stock in that poll. The question is designed to generate a lot of yes votes because of the way it is worded.
Of course any sport or game that involves human contact has the potential to be dangerous. Furthermore, the “yes” answer leads to the same conclusion. Can a kid get seriously hurt playing Red Rover or Dodge Ball? Sure they can. They can get seriously hurt doing any sort of exercise. A correct question would have been:
“Do you think the government should ban children from playing classic games like Red Rover, Dodgeball, or Tag due to fears a child might be injured?”
I bet you’ll see different results.
Pattosensei on April 19, 2011 at 4:20 PM
I haven’t thought about that game in years. Ow! Ow! OUCH!
Kafir on April 19, 2011 at 4:27 PM
No stickball in the street with a piece of torn rubber and a length of thin wood, then? No, I thought not.
Wethal on April 19, 2011 at 3:12 PM
We play half rubber down here in the south. Half a rubber ball and a thin broomstick. Invented right here on Tybee Island. Man, some of the pitchers in the tournaments can throw that thing and you’ll NEVER hit it! It’s a blast.
odat on April 19, 2011 at 4:33 PM
This is proof that kids are smarter than most adults.
tcn on April 19, 2011 at 4:46 PM
Once again, glad that I left my native state when I had the chance!
NavyMustang on April 19, 2011 at 4:56 PM
Massvictim:
yes, follow the money.
Who benefits if some little guy has to become listed as a camp? Either they pay the fee or they do not offer the service. It appears to me existing camps benefit. Whodathunkit?
duggersd on April 19, 2011 at 5:17 PM