So for me, dodgeball was a sanctioned way for the kids that were bigger, stronger, and more athletic than me to take out their aggression. That sounds like a wonderful idea. I'm not sure who thought that this game was a way to do things, but I assume it was somebody that wanted to get back at the slowpokes and nerds around them. I fit into both of those categories (slowpoke and nerd), so I was always a prime target. I don't know how many times I felt the sting of the ball on an arm or leg or smack in the middle of the face. Luckily, I never ended up with broken glasses, though I'm sure that somebody would have thought that was a bonus.
Flash forward from high school many years, and at my work there is a flyer outside my office door for an adult dodgeball tournament. I can't for the life of me figure out who thought that was an idea that needed pursuing. I guess my consolation is that adults who choose to do dodgeball are probably all the jocks of old longing for a chance to get out some aggression. Hopefully the nerds and slowpokes (like me) have the sense to avoid dodgeball as adults. And maybe we can start a petition to make dodgeball illegal. Whose with me?