Stickball is a street game similar to

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

, usually formed as a

pick-up game In sports and video games, a pick-up game (also known as a ''scratch game'' or ''PUG'') is a game that has been spontaneously started by a group of players. Players are generally invited to show up beforehand, but unlike exhibition games there i ...

played in large cities in the Northeastern United States, especially

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. The equipment consists of a

broom A broom (also known in some forms as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. I ...

handle and a rubber ball, typically a

spaldeen A Spalding Hi-Bounce Ball, often called a Spaldeen or a Pensie Pinkie, is a rubber ball, described as a tennis ball core without the felt. These balls are commonly used in street games developed in the mid-20th century, such as Chinese handball (a ...

, pensy pinky, high bouncer or

tennis ball A tennis ball is a ball designed for the sport of tennis. Tennis balls are fluorescent yellow in organised competitions, but in recreational play can be virtually any color. Tennis balls are covered in a fibrous felt which modifies their aerodyna ...

. The rules come from baseball and are modified to fit the situation. For example, a

manhole cover A manhole cover or maintenance hole cover is a removable plate forming the lid over the opening of a manhole, an opening large enough for a person to pass through that is used as an access point for an underground vault or pipe. It is designed t ...

may be used as a base, or buildings for foul lines. 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.

Variants

Boys Playing Stickball, Havana, Cuba, 1999

In fungo, the batter tosses the ball into the air and hits it on the way down or after one or more bounces. Another variant is

Vitilla Vitilla is a popular variation of stickball played primarily in the Dominican Republic and areas in the United States with large Dominican populations. Overview Overall rules and baserunning is roughly similar to basic forms of baseball, but th ...

, a popular variation of stickball played primarily in the Dominican Republic and areas in the United States with large Dominican populations.

Stickball in popular culture

* In a scene from the 1976 movie ''

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burge ...

'', a group of youths play halfball (a variant of stickball) on the streets of

. In the 1979 sequel '' Rocky II'', the main character himself plays stickball/halfball in one scene. * The season 4 episode, " Lisa's First Word", of the animated series ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...

'' has a scene taking place in the Lower East Side of Springfield (visualized like a typical 1930s urban

neighborhood) where a boy says to his friends if they want to play stickball and they agree; instead of actually playing stickball, the group of kids head over to an

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

and play a

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

of the sport. * '' White Collar'' TV series (Episode 2.02 - "Need To Know") protagonist Neil Coffrey comes up with a clever plan to create a park in honor of the fictional boy Timmy Nolan, who loved to play the old-fashioned game of stickball. * During the opening credits of

Big Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * ''Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show * ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show present ...

starring

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

Films

*
Fast pitch Stick ball (An Unheard Pastime)
' (2007) Directed by Jesse Tornabe *
Coverage Of Stick ball Opening Day
(2008) '' *
Bragging Rights: Stick ball Stories
' (2006). Directed by Sonia Gonzalez. *
Stick ball Night Coverage: Stick ball Highlights
' (2006). Directed by Ross O Fomerand.

References

Baseball genres Sports originating in the United States Street games Team sports Ball and bat games {{baseball-stub

Variants

Stickball in popular culture

Films

See also

References