During the first week of June at the annual Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences in Vancouver, David Burns, Joy Butler, Claire Robson publically spoke out against dodgeball. The trio of researchers called the sport "oppressive", “miseducative”, and even equated it to legalized bullying. This story was picked up all over North America across countless news agencies across Canada and the United States. 

Dodgeball Canada immediately responded in defense of the sport, stating that Dodgeball is a sport built on the foundation of teamwork, inclusiveness, and trust. The dodgeball community was quick to point out that many of the points made by the researchers could be said about all sports, and that the trio seemed grossly misinformed; perhaps hanging onto an archaic perception of dodgeball and not the sport that it has become today. 

It is easy to forget that, until recently, competitive dodgeball was not televised, and rarely does a formal program around the sport exist in the school system's physical education curriculum. This isn't something the researchers in question can be blamed for. And so, In an effort to give them the benefit of the doubt, we are inviting David Burns, Joy Butler and Claire Robson to join the local dodgeball league of their choice, courtesy of Dodgeball BC. Not only will they get to register in any league for free, we will also supply them with some of the finest teammates they could ask for; from league organizers and DBC board members to provincial level players. For 8-12 weeks they will be guided through a typical, authentic community experience and learn the ropes of dodgeball from the sport's best ambassadors. The three will also be invited to share their thoughts and findings at a Dodgeball BC board meeting, which will focus on DBC's Dodgeball In Schools Initiative and be open to the public.

Sign DBC's petition today and help convince David Burns, Joy Butler and Claire Robson to experience a new perspective on the sport.