Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
December 14, 2001, Washington Post

The Gift of Sports

With the holidays here, I have been seeing lots of ads for sports video games -- Madden 2002 football; Tony Hawk's Pro Skater; Backyard Baseball, Basketball and Soccer. The games are action-packed, with loads of great graphics.

There's only one problem. These aren't really sports games. When kids play video games, they are barely moving anything but their thumbs. That's not sports.

If you like sports, and someone asks you what you want this holiday season, forget the razzle-dazzle video junk and ask for some real sports stuff.

Start with the basics:

How about a K2 football? Smaller than a regular football and just perfect for kids up to 10 years old, a K2 football is sweeter than ice cream. For kids too old for the K2, the Wilson TDY or Ultra models are just a bit bigger and will have you running out to the yard to play some touch football.

Basketball's your game? Be sure to ask for an indoor/outdoor ball that will stand up to the playground pounding you are sure to give it.

Meanwhile, soccer balls come in every imaginable color. I even saw one in dark blue. Just ask for the right size (3, 4 or 5) in your favorite color and you can't go wrong.

Okay, you've got the ball, now you have to practice. I've got the perfect thing for you: The Practice Partner. What is it? It is a net strung tightly across a solid metal frame. Then you fasten the frame to the ground. Toss a ball at the net and the ball bounces right back. We called them "pitch-backs" in my neighborhood. But kids don't throw only baseball and softballs at them any more. You can play catch with a lacrosse ball or set it down sideways and practice soccer passes.

Or how about a hockey goal? Playground hockey on sneakers or rollerblades is even more fun when you can slip a shot past the goalie and into a real net -- just like the pros. And younger kids can use the plastic goals for their pickup soccer games.

Thinking about taking up lacrosse? There are plastic lacrosse goals for kids. And lacrosse sticks -- everything from a pair of plastic beginner models to the real deal for the serious player.

Speaking of sticks, golf is even hotter than lacrosse. There are golf clubs for golfers of every size. I saw a Snoopy bag with just a couple clubs for the smallest Tiger Woods out there. That may be starting a bit too young, but you get the idea.

The holidays come around only once a year. You can waste your chance by asking for video games. Or you can ask for some real sports stuff that will get you into the game.

I say, get into the game.

Fred Bowen is the author of sports novels for kids.

© 2001 The Washington Post Company