Basketball vs. Bullying

What is Basketball vs. Bullying?

Basketball vs. Bullying was developed by Joe Raso of McMaster University and Dr. Tracy Vaillancourt . The purpose of the rally was to raise awareness about bullying. Students learned about how to protect themselves and their classmates and to take an active role in reducing bullying.  Over 35 000 students and 2000 volunteers have attended over the four years, making it the largest anti-bullying rally in the world.  Each year the event was presented by McMaster University in collaboration with Mohawk College, Hamilton Police Services along with the Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District School Board and Hamilton Wentworth District School Board.  In 2005 and 2006 the event was sponsored by Motorola.  In 2006 partnerships were also in place with TVO Kids The Space.  Presenters in 2006 included TVO Kids The Space’s Milton Barnes, Promotional Speaker Johnnie Williams from The Junk Yard Dog Motivational Tour and Basketball trickster and motivational
speaker Q-Mack. 

Where did the name come from? 

Joe Raso, the Men’s basketball coach at McMaster had a vision of using varsity basketball to disseminate knowledge about the social issue of bullying. The first year, there was much more interest in the event than anticipated, so Joe hooked up with associate professor and researcher in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, Dr. Tracy Vaillancourt. Together, an audience of several hundred, turned into several thousand and the venue changed to Copps Coliseum to accommodate the interest and spread the message to as many youth as possible. The first half of the program was dedicated to raising awareness about bullying. The program concludes with a basketball game to demonstrate the skills of sportsmanship and positive competitiveness. Hence the name, Basketball vs. Bullying, One on One.

Has there been a show like this before?  When?  Where? 

Yes, the 2006 event was the fourth and final year that Basketball vs. Bullying took place.  Each year it has been in Hamilton, Ontario at Copps Coliseum during the Week of the Child (mid-October).

How do you choose your performers?

Much thought and research is dedicated to the performers in the event. The target audience in 2003-2005 were students in grades 6-8. In these years the students watched a theatrical performance on the topic of bullying. In 2006 students in grades 4 and 5 were invited. Many scripts of potential plays were reviewed, but ultimately shorter presentations with age-appropriate guest speakers were chosen for the event. Due to the younger audience the performance was changed to 3 guest speakers including Milton Barnes from TVO Kids, Johnnie Williams from the Junk Yard Dog Motivational Tour and Basketball Trickster and Motivational Speaker Q-Mack.