There have been a few movies that have centered around dodgeball!
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story is the most famous cultural depiction of the game. Starring Vince
Vaughn and Ben Stiller, this comedy, released in 2004, fullows a group competing in a professional dodgeball tournament. It helped to popularize
the phrase If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.
Billy Madison, starring Adam Sandler, has a character that is forced back into grade school and in one of the scenes,
he aggressively dominates a dodgeball game against children. This movie was released in 1995.
Meatballs, released in 1979, had a memorable dodgeball scene at a summer camp. This highlights the chaotic and competitve spirit of the game.
Television Shows
There have been many shows that have highlighted dodgeball in some way. Here is every mention of the game so far!
The Simpsons has had multiple episodes that has something to do with dodgeball, including:
In season 1, episode 6 Moaning Lisa from 1990, Lisa refuses to play in gym. The scene ends with her classmates pelting her with dodgeballs.
In season 11, episode 16 Pygmoelian from 2000, the chalkboard gag says Dodgeball stops at the gym door.
In season 12, episode 8 Skinner's Sense of Snow from 2000, the students tie Principal Skinner in a dodgeball sack and dodgeballs are thrown at him.
In season 22, episode 10 Moms I'd Like to Forget from 2011, students are in The Cold Open, which is a 4th vs 5th grade dodgeball match that sparks the rivalry with Bart
fantasizing about a Planet Dodgeball
Coach Krupt invented his own version of dodgeball. He called it Bombardment. It is mentioned during these episodes:
In season 17, episode 12 My Fair Laddy from 2006, Coach Krupt makes the class play Bombardment, which they use/throw dodgeballs. One of Bart's
frozen ice balls destroy's Groundskeeper Willie's shack
In season 20, episode 11 How the Test Was Won from 2009, during test prep, Coach Krupt reads questions and hurls dodgeballs at wrong answers
In season 25, episode 6 The Kid is All Right from 2013, Bombardment appears/gets called out
In season 25, episode 21 Pay Pal from 2014, Bombardment appeears during school activities.
In season 30, episode 8 Krusty the Clown from 2018, Bombardment is mentioned.
In the episode Cece Crashes, which is a part of season 1 of New Girl, Winston Saint-Marie Schmidt brags to Cece about his dodgeball prowess, emphasizing the game's
reputation for competiveness.
The cartoon Recess had an episode in 1999 called Dodgeball City. The 4th graders are repeatedly beaten by the 5th graders.
T.J. challenges the 5th graders for every one of their marbles. Gus, who played at his previous school and was known as a dodgeball legend, nicknamed El Diablo, refuses
to play because he injurned a kindergartner by mistake. He eventually plays to protect a kindergartner named Hector, who wanders into the dodgeball game and gets hit.
Gus steps in as El Diablo and helps the 4th graders to win.
Parks and Recreation has three episodes where dodgeball is mentioned.
In season 2, episode 5 Sister City, Leslie notes that the Venezuelan Parks Department officials mock Pawnee's parks, which includes the idea that they would
play dodgeball instead of soccer.
In season 3, episode 13 The Fight, there is a flashback reference to Tom organizing oddball activities, with dodgeball being briefly mentioned
as one of the silly games.
In season 5, episode 17 Partridge, Ben and Leslie return to Ben's hometown. In conversation, dodgeball comes up in the context of his nerdy high school days.
Music References
There are a few bands that mentioned the game of dodgeball in their songs.
In their music video for the songUnder and Over It, tbe band Five Finger Death Punch are playing a very chaotic game of dodgeball
The band Gym Class Heroes often mentioned their childhood games in their lyrics and stage banter, with dodgeball being one of them.
In their music video for the song Troublemaker, the band Weezer is playing the world's largest game of dodgeball
Video Games
Over the years, there have been many video games released that relate to dodgeball! Some are classics from the 1980s and we have some that are available in modern gaming consoles!
Classic and Retro Dodgeball Games
Super Dodge Ball: Released in 1987 on NES/Arcade, this is considered a cult classic by Technos Japan. They are the same company behind the game River
City Ransom. Teams from different countries face off in exaggerated, over-the-top dodgeball matches.
The Kunio-kun series included dodgeball in some of their spin-offs, often with the same quirky, cartoonish art style.
Wii Games that Feature Dodgeball
Mario Sports Mix: Released in 2010 on Wii, this game includes dodgeball as one of their playable sports. It also features Mario characters
that have special moves.
Some games in Wii Sports Resort mimic throwing/dodging mechanisms.
Games Available on Steam and Other Platforms
The following games are available to buy on Steam:
Dodgeball Academia is a story driven, role playing game where all battles are played as dodgeball matches.
Rebound Dodgeball Evolved is described as a top-down, sci-fi dodgeball game. It is very chaotic, frentic twin-stick style. You can
play locally and online with multiplayer mode and you can use mutators and maps that can drastically change how matches are played.
Stikbold! A Dodgeball Adventure is described as a quirky, retro-inspired dodgeball game with a
humerous campaign and party friendly mulitplayer mode.
Knockout City is a team-based online multiplayer game that is centered entirely around futuristic,
fast-paced dodgeball battles. This game blends dodgeball mechanics with 3rd person action and parkour.
Robot Roller-Derby Disco Dodgeball is a futuristic game where you can dodge the balls using many types of movements, including trick shots, disco
aesthetics, physics based thowing/catching, and more!
Dodgeball Circuit is a game where dodgeball is played in multiplayer mode with robots. You can customize your robot's limbs/arms/legs, which will affect performance
and special moves. There are two teams in an arena style form.
Dodgeball: Unleashed is a 1st person arena style game with lots of maps and multiplayer modes. This game has not been released on Steam yet.
Dodge Barrage is a party/competitive dodgeball game that includes online and local modes. The emphasis is on reflexes, aggressive plays, catching/deflecting, etc.