Fourth grade, with beer

"It's like fourth grade, with beer."

Someone used this phrase to describe adults playing kickball to me last night. I think that's a hilarious and accurate description. My last kickball game was surely in the 1980s, but I think it's great and quite amusing that kickball has been experiencing a resurgence over the past few years.

It's hilarious to me that there is a World Adult Kickball Association, but don't laugh too hard:

Whether it’s the game itself or the drinking, WAKA now has leagues in more than 20 states — from New Hampshire to New Mexico — with more than 20,000 players on 1,000 teams in 100 divisions. In the summer of 2005, the association even helped set up a league for Marines stationed in Fallujah — the Iraq Semper Fi Division...

And, as with any playground-style pursuit, kickball isn’t without its shouting matches. WAKA and DC Kickball, a smaller rival league, are currently caught up in a federal lawsuit, with WAKA charging the competition with copyright infringement (for using their rules) and defamation. WAKA is suing DC Kickball for more than a few weeks’ allowance — seeking $356,000 in compensatory and punitive damages...

WAKA held its ninth annual world championship, the Founders Cup, in Miami last July, and attracted more than 300 fans to most games.

I'm not sure why WAKA and DC Kickball haven't agreed to settle their differences on the field, but I guess it's really none of my business. The Nashville Sports League offers three separate divisions to help you with your kickball fix if you live here in town. The fellow who coined "fourth grade, with beer" was an NSL kickball veteran.

My memories of kickball are of being a pretty average player. I wasn't picked first, but I wasn't picked last. I remember demanding "re-rolls" when pitches weren't smooth enough--a common occurrence on our playground at school--and the rush of seeing the ball heading your way. It was a thrill to feel a kick send the ball rifling through the air. Those were the days. :)