Traditional games of New York City

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The traditional games of New York City are one of the notable aspects of New York City's culture; many of them were brought over by the diverse mix of immigrants that settled in New York City, particularly from Europe. [1] Many of these games used street furniture and other features of New York City's high urban density and were therefore also played in other cities of the United States. Most of these games have declined or disappeared in the modern era. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

History

Traditional games historically played a significant role in street life in New York City. During the 1900s, efforts were made to push children away from the dangers of street traffic and towards playing on newly built playgrounds, with the objective of avoiding certain unwanted behaviors (such as spreading glass so that cars couldn't drive on the streets). Another hope was to improve immigrant assimilation, which was considered important during a large wave of immigration to the United States. [5] There were also concerns of children being liable to become criminals or mingle too much with adults. [6] However, racial integration was not pursued as thoroughly; in the 1930s, New York City built 255 playgrounds, only 2 of which were in black neighborhoods. [7] "Play streets" were also implemented, closing off certain streets to allow children to safely play in them. [8] [9]

Traditional games

Double Dutch

This section is an excerpt from Double Dutch (jump rope).[ edit ]
Children playing double Dutch in Buenos Aires DoubleDutchBA.jpg
Children playing double Dutch in Buenos Aires

Double Dutch is a game in which two long jump ropes turning in opposite directions are jumped by one or more players jumping simultaneously. There is a lack of consensus regarding the early history of double Dutch, but it is said to have been traced back from Egypt, China, and even Europe, where various forms of skipping rope was quite common.

The sport's immediate origins are a matter of debate, with some believing it was brought by Dutch settlers to America and others claiming it emerged independently in USA in the early 1900s. Nonetheless, it is widely acknowledged in America that the sport reached its modern form in predominantly black urban areas of New York, such as Harlem in the 1950s. [10] On street corners, groups of girls congregated to display new tricks and repurposed clotheslines as ropes. While it had long been a popular street activity for African American girls in New York City, [11] the modern sport of Double Dutch originated in the early 1970s with NYPD officers Ulysses Williams and David Walker, who formalized the rules for competition. The first official competition was held in 1974. Competitions in Double Dutch range from block parties to the world level. During the spring of 2009, Double Dutch became a varsity sport in New York City public high schools. [12]

In the early 1980s, Double Dutch was strongly associated with New York hip hop culture. [13] It has also been recognized as an element of the genre by notable MCs such as KRS-One. [14]

Skully

This section is an excerpt from Skully (game).[ edit ]
Children playing a skully-type game on Manhattan's East Side, early 1910s. East Side Children LCCN2014693967.jpg
Children playing a skully-type game on Manhattan's East Side, early 1910s.
Skully (also called skelly, skellies, skelsy, skellzies, scully, skelzy, scummy top, tops, loadies or caps) is a children's game played on the streets of New York City and other urban areas. [15] Sketched on the street usually in chalk, a skully board allows a game for two to six players. A sidewalk is sometimes used, offering greater protection from vehicular traffic; however, the asphalt on a typical city street is smoother and provides better game play than a bumpy concrete sidewalk.

Variations of baseball

Baseball has historically been one of the most popular sports in New York City, and so several street variations of it appeared over time. [1] Playing street variations of baseball was a way for immigrants to assimilate and join American life without having to spend the money required to participate in regular baseball. [16]

Stickball

This section is an excerpt from Stickball.[ edit ]
Stickball in New York Queens stickball.jpg
Stickball in New York
Stickball is a street game similar to baseball, usually formed as a pick-up game played in large cities in the Northeastern United States, especially New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston. [17] [18] [19] The equipment consists of a broom handle and a rubber ball, typically a spaldeen, [20] pensy pinky, high bouncer or tennis ball. [17] [18] The rules come from baseball and are modified to fit the situation. For example, a manhole cover may be used as a base, or buildings for foul lines. [17] [18] The game is a variation of stick and ball games dating back to at least the 1750s. This game was widely popular among youths during the 20th century until the 1980s.

Punchball

This section is an excerpt from Punchball.[ edit ]
A Baseball5 batter hitting the ball punchball-style Cuba Baseball5 game.jpg
A Baseball5 batter hitting the ball punchball-style

Punchball is a sport spawned by and similar to baseball, but without a pitcher, catcher, or bat. [21] [22]

The "batter" essentially plays "fungo" without a bat, bouncing or tossing up the ball and then using a volleyball type approach to put the ball in play, punching the ball with his fist. [23] [24] [25] The ball was usually a rubber spaldeen [26] or pensie pinkie, but even a tennis ball or wad of taped-up paper can be used. [27] [a] Base stealing, foul balls, [31] and bunting are not allowed.

Stoop ball

This section is an excerpt from Stoop ball.[ edit ]
Stoop ball (also spelled "stoopball") is a game that is played by throwing a ball against a stoop (stairs leading up to a building) on the pavement in front of a building. [32] [33] Historically, it has been popular in Brooklyn and other inner cities. In Boston, the game is known as "Up-Against." In Chicago, the game is known as "Pinners." In Chicago's Bridgeport area the game is called "Three Outs". The game is also known as "Off the Point". [34] It first became popular after World War II. [35]

Variations of tag

Ringolevio

This section is an excerpt from Ringolevio.[ edit ]
Ringolevio (also spelled ringalevio or ring-a-levio) [36] is a children's game which originated in the streets of New York City, where it is known to have been played at least as far back as the late 19th century. [37] [38] [b] It is one of the many variations of tag. [39] In Canada, the game is known as Relievio, a name which was also used in Boston and Ireland in the 1950s. It is also, in some places, known as coco-levio. [40]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Stickball, Death of a Street Culture". Sports History Weekly. June 18, 2023. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  2. ↑ Hogarty, Dave (July 1, 2007). "Stickball, Other Street Games Disappearing From NYC". Gothamist. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  3. ↑ Otis, Ginger Adams (May 9, 2010). "What happened to New York's storied street games?". New York Post. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  4. ↑ Dupont, Kevin Paul (May 26, 2013). "Stickball in New York is a vanishing game". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  5. ↑ Palumbo, Liliana (August 11, 2022). "The Battle over Street Play in New York City (1910-1930)". The Strong National Museum of Play. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  6. ↑ "How Children's Play Shaped New York City, Part 1: Where Crime Is Play". The New York Public Library. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  7. ↑ Guttman, Allen (2004). Sports: The First Five Millennia. University of Massachusetts Press. p. 157. ISBN   978-1-55849-610-1.
  8. ↑ "Play Streets in New York, a safe haven designed to thrive". The Urban Activist. August 6, 2020. Archived from the original on August 6, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Heard on the Stoops: A Nostalgia for Playstreets (Published 2017)". July 11, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  10. ↑ Jamin Brophy-Warren (November 9, 2007). "Bested by Japan, A Jump-Rope Team Plots a Comeback". WSJ. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Double Dutch Jumprope, a brief history".
  12. ↑ Hu, Winnie (July 31, 2008). "Double Dutch Gets Status in the Schools". New York Times. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  13. ↑ Lauren Schwartzberg, Double Dutch's Forgotten Hip-Hop Origins, vice.com, April 1, 2015
  14. ↑ McCabe, Allyson (2022). "How the Fantastic Four took Double Dutch to new heights". NPR.
  15. ↑ Popik, Barry (April 5, 2005), Skelly (or skelsy, skellzies, scully, tops, caps) , retrieved January 5, 2008
  16. ↑ Baker, Kevin (March 5, 2024). The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN   978-0-375-42183-9.
  17. 1 2 3 Dandes, R. B. (May 5, 1985). "For These Boys of Summer, the Game Is Stickball" . The New York Times . Retrieved July 2, 2024. New York City was the hotbed of stickball interest. Devised in the 1920s, for many years the game was called One-Bounce. A pitcher would bounce a spaldeen - the little pink rubber ball that cost a nickel - to the plate. When it was hit with the sawed-off broomstick handle that served as a bat without being caught, the batter advanced to impromptu bases (sewers, for instance). [...] Stickball's popularity peaked in the 1950s. By the 60s, with the increasing number of cars that clogged city streets and the mass exodus to the suburbs, the game fell into decline.
  18. 1 2 3 Dupont, Kevin Paul (May 26, 2013). Written at New York City. "Stickball in New York is a vanishing game". The Boston Globe . Boston . Retrieved July 2, 2024. What's more quintessential New York than stickball, right? Uh, no, not right. Stickball doesn't live here anymore. At least not in the way it does in the mind's eye, how it did when a young, vibrant Willie Mays swung a broom handle in the street outside his old home in Harlem in the 1950s or when Joe Pepitone did as a stylish Yankee in Brooklyn in the '60s.
  19. ↑ Gold, Jonathan (September 11, 2017). "Welcome to Stickball Boulevard". ESPN . Retrieved July 2, 2024. Stickball was once an integral part of the urban youth experience. Images of ragtag groups of children playing in the street became iconic depictions of New York City and helped shape the world's perception of New Yorkers as the street-smart, rough-and-tumble class of America. Slowly, like so much of Americana, it has faded from the streets, cars and buses rendering the roadways perilous, Xboxes and iPhones commandeering kids' attention.
  20. ↑ Koerner, Brendan I. (March 13, 2005). "The Spaldeen Is Back (Even if the Dodgers Aren't)" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  21. ↑ Prager, Joshua (March 11, 2008). The Echoing Green. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 194. ISBN   978-0-307-38933-6 . Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  22. ↑ Clement, Priscilla Ferguson; Reinier, Jacqueline S. (January 1, 2001). Boyhood in America: An Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. ABC-CLIO. p. 107. ISBN   978-1-57607-215-8 . Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Streetplay Rulesheets: Punchball".
  24. ↑ Milberg, Alan (1976). Street Games. McGraw-Hill. p. 149. ISBN   978-0-07-041915-5 . Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  25. ↑ Seymour, Harold (April 19, 1990). Baseball: The People's Game. Oxford University Press. p. 18. ISBN   978-0-19-802096-7 . Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  26. ↑ Connor, Anthony J. (March 1998). Voices from Cooperstown: baseball's Hall of Famers tell it like it was. Galahad Books. ISBN   978-1-57866-016-2 . Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  27. ↑ Jacobs, Greg (March 12, 2016). The Everything Kids' Baseball Book: From Baseball's History to Today's Favorite Players--With Lots of Home Run Fun in Between!. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   978-1-4405-9389-5.
  28. ↑ Associated Press (January 21, 2023). "Schools Face Pressure to Take Harder Line on Discipline". K2 Radio. Associated Press. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  29. ↑ "Mike Kirby: Memories of 'Sacre Coeur,' and sockball". The Sun Chronicle. October 21, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  30. ↑ Jr, Leonard Pitts (March 1, 2009). Becoming Dad: Black Men and the Journey to Fatherhood. Agate Publishing. ISBN   978-1-57284-602-9.
  31. ↑ Hume, Donald (January 1, 2005). "Recreational Games for Physical Education". Strategies. doi:10.1080/08924562.2005.10591137. ISSN   0892-4562.
  32. ↑ "NYCdata | Uniquely NYC". www.baruch.cuny.edu. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  33. ↑ Maguire, Jack (1990). Hopscotch, Hangman, Hot Potato, & Ha Ha Ha: A Rulebook of Children's Games. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   978-0-671-76332-9.
  34. ↑ "Stoopball at". Streetplay.com. September 21, 2006. Retrieved March 18, 2010.[ unreliable source? ]
  35. ↑ Schupak, Marty. "Stoop Ball on". Webball.com. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  36. ↑ "ring-a-levio entry in Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary" . Retrieved September 20, 2010.
  37. ↑ See this journal article, published in 1891: Stewart Culin (1891) [Jul-Sep, 1891]. "Street Games of Boys in Brooklyn, N. Y.". The Journal of American Folklore. 4 (14): 221–237. JSTOR   534007.
  38. ↑ "The hi-spy class includes, among many others, ringalevio (Brooklyn name)" Dunn, Robert (June 1904), "Games of the City Street", The Outing , 44 (3): 275–276
  39. ↑ "Ring-a-Levio is a sophisticated cross between Tag and Hide-and-Seek." Albert, David H. Dismantling the Inner School . Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  40. ↑ "Childhood in New York: Fab 5 Freddy, Graffiti Artist, b. 1959". New York Magazine . March 31, 2013.
  1. ↑ In some variations of punchball, known as sockball, the ball was either a rolled up sock or a volleyball. [28] [29] [30]
  2. ↑ Before the first World War, one of the greatest games kids played was Ringolevio. In front of the Grace Church on East 92nd Street and Church Lane, each weeknight we formed a circle of 10 or 12 of us in two teams. The ones who went to hide would then try to sneak back without being caught by one of the guardians of the circle. If a boy managed to get in without being caught, he would yell, "Ringolevio!" and free everyone that had previously been caught. This went on until about 9 p.m. when we had to go home. Denton, John (November 23, 2006). "Playing Ringolevio In Front Of Grace Church". Canarsie Courier . Brooklyn, New York. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015.
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