The Political Spectrum

Tonight, while jogging on the Mall, I passed a group of people playing a game close to the 14th Street side of the Mall (right before you cross over to the Washington Monument). Usually at this time of the year they would be playing softball - as indeed another group was doing by the 7th Street side. But they weren't playing softball. Oh no.

They were playing kickball.

That's right. A group of adult men and women were on the Mall playing kickball. I had actually read about this new phenomenon, but tonight was the first time I had ever witnessed it.

Kickball.

Evidently softball is too physically demanding for these people. I can understand that hitting a giant ball traveling at approximately 10 miles per hour can be a challenge. But . . . kickball?

Then again, they were playing fast-pitch kickball, though it did seem they were pitching slower to the girls. That brings me to another unrelated point. In college my co-ed service "fraternity" Alpha Phi Omega participated in co-ed intramural sports, and they had all these idiotic rules. For instance, a male could not block a female's shot, and women's points counted double. Give me a fucking break. If girls are going to participate in sports with boys, then the same rules should apply. If we have to establish childish rules in order for them to participate, then they shouldn't participate.

Anyway, back to kickball. No, let's not get back to kickball. Let's hope this little trend just disappears. Then again, in five years I'll be pining for the days of kickball when all the grownups are playing duck-duck-goose on the Mall.