Butts
Up
Butts Up (A.K.A. "Blackjack," "Fumble,"
"Butt Ball," "Asses Up," "Suicides," "Stitch," "Fire in the Bum,"
"Buns Up," "Wall Ball," "No Fear," "Red Bum," "Red Ass," "Sting,"
"Error", "Off the Wall," "Fireball," or "Burn") is a North American
elementary school children’s playground game
originating in the 1950s or earlier. It is slightly similar to the
game Screen Ball. Butts Up or Booties Up began in the 40s or 50s as
a penalty phase of various city street games. Butts Up is played
with a ball (such as a tennis ball or racquetball) on a paved
surface against a wall, with a variable number of
participants—usually more than three and often likely to
exceed ten. Butts Up tends to be played during recess or after
school; it is played infrequently before school. The game is co-ed,
although in practice its aggressive nature attracts mostly boys.
Popular in New England is another frequent variation of 'Wall Ball'
that usually differs a lot from the more widely known 'Butts
Up'.
Players determine the variations of the
game prior to start of play. Some of the rules of the game very
loosely resemble the rules of baseball and
racquetball.
Object of the game
The object of the game is to be the
last player remaining in the game after all other players are
out.
In some variations of the game, there
is no specific object of the game. Play continues until time runs
out. In this variation, when players are "out" three times, they
must lean against the wall and wait to be hit by the ball ("Butts
Up").
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