Dodgeball: The Sport of Choice

My experiences researching Generation Y has led me to strongly believe in one point: Generation Y clings to the unconventional, even with sports. From skateboarding, to BMX, to baseball, football, and snowboarding, Generation Y has formed their own peer groups based around the sport of their choice. Skateboarding and extreme sports were stereotyped as those millennials trying to rebel, while the traditional sports such as baseball and football appealed to conforming millennials. So where exactly does dodgeball play into the situation?

It seems the sport that gained quite a following throughout their childhood days and the 70s has yet again peaked interest in many Gen Yers. College campuses now have competitive recreational teams where anyone from the frat boys and sorority girls, to the chess club and badminton leagues all join in to compete.

20th Century Fox caught on to the craze with the launch of their 2004 movie, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and even associations have formed such as NADA, the National Amateur Dodgeball Association and the IDBF, International Dodge Ball Federation, formed in 1996. It seems part of the attractiveness of a sport such as dodgeball is it has yet to be glorified by American society, leaving Generation Y to truly be able to define the sport and set standardized rules the way they wish. The same is no longer true for once rebellious sports such as skateboarding, as the sport has significantly increased in popularity covering print and television media everywhere. A few brands even took notice such as the Right Guard Xtreme Dodgeball commercial launched in 2003.

Other unconventional sports include Wheelbarrow Freestyle and Zorbing.

Important Note: These are mere observations of generational trends within the local area and may not be applicable to all of generation y.