Advocates said the sport teaches bullying and is a tool for oppression.
Michele Obama trash talked before a hilarious celebrity dodgeball game on “The Late Late Show” Monday as she led Team USA against host James Corden’s Team U.K.
During the battle, the former first lady chucked the ball and nailed Harry Styles in the groin, with people calling it the “shot heard round the world.”
The video has nearly 1 million views on YouTube and is the No. 18 trending clip on the site after being posted less than 24 hours ago.
Dodgeball is one of the fastest growing sports for adults with co-ed leagues springing up across America.
“It's built a lot of confidence and courage to be at the front lines, be active in the sport,” one player told Inside Edition.
But the way dodgeball is played in schools and summer camps is coming under fire. New research claims dodgeball teaches children to bully other kids and now there are calls for the sport to be banned in schools.
Judy LoBianco, former president of The Society of Health and Physical Educators, said dodgeball teaches all the wrong lessons.
“We're asking kids to hit other kids with an object and that’s no longer appropriate. We don’t use kids as human targets anymore,” she told Inside Edition. “The aggressors are going after kids who are weak and afraid. The last thing we want kids to feel in school is weak and afraid.”
Ari Goldberg, who runs the New York City Dodgeball League, disputes that characterization.
“The problem isn't the students being bullies. The problem is that the teachers aren't teaching them not to be bullies,” he said. "You have a community and it's the most inclusive thing I’ve ever been a part of."
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