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. The game is also known as "Off the Point". [1] Historically, it has been popular in Brooklyn and other inner cities. It first became popular after World War II.[2] A Portable Stoopball Striker has been patented. [3]
It has been played and enjoyed by a number of prominent personalities. Sandy Koufax began his Hall of Fame baseball career by playing stoop ball, [4] while Marv Albert missed the city game so much that he once had a stoop constructed at his house in the suburbs. [5] Billy Joel played stoop ball on suburban streets [6]
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Stoop ball is a pickup neighborhood game played on the stairs of a residential dwelling by a minimum of two players. The rules [7] are based loosely on baseball. The object of the game is to score the most runs in 9 innings.
One player is the "batter" and the other players the "fielders". The batter stands immediately in front of the stairs while the fielders stand behind the batter across the sidewalk on to the street. The "batter" throws a pink rubber ball (either a "spaldeen" or "pensie pinkie") at the stoop. The ball flies back towards the fielders, who are also facing the stoop. The objective is to hit the ball at such an angle and velocity so that it bounces back in the air as far as possible over the heads of the fielders, therefore registering bigger hits. The number of bases registered by a hit is determined by the distance traveled by the ball before it is fielded, unless the ball is caught on the fly resulting in an out.
The Stoopball League of America holds their annual world championships every July in Clinton, Wisconsin.
In addition to the "baseball rules" or "bounces" variation described above, there is also the "curbball" version, often played in parks. In the "original" version of stoop ball, only one player at a time throws and catches. In St. Louis, Missouri, this game was known as "stepball", where it was played from at least the 1930 to the 1980s.
A 2010 PBS documentary, New York Street Games, explains stoopball.[8].