Originally Published: April 11, 2010, 07:20 AM

Baseball Bingo

Posted By Diego | NHL Videos | April 11, 2010, 07:20 AM |

Historically, both bingo and Baseball have much in common. Both originated in Europe – the former in the sixteenth century Italy and the latter in nineteenth century England – and both have evolved


Historically, both bingo and Baseball have much in common. Both originated in Europe – the former in the sixteenth century Italy and the latter in nineteenth century England – and both have evolved through the ages to become two of the most widely played games across the globe. Now, however, some enterprising educationalists have taken the comparisons a step further, marrying the two games to create baseball bingo.

The idea is a simple one. The game of baseball is set up as normal, with one team batting and the other in the field. The bingo element arrives with the captain of each team being given a free bingo card with key items from the game printed at random. Words like “strike”, “home run” and “no ball” are printed on these cards, with the umpire acting as caller. When he makes the calls, the captains mark off the words from their cards.

The game has proved to be effective, and is the brainchild of Elizabeth Bainbridge, a secondary teacher of Physical Education based in Bristol, England. She said that she came up with the game to enliven pupils, who benefit from multi-tasking.

“Studies have shown that using both sides of the brain simultaneously can have a significant effect on the cognitive abilities of pupils,” she said. “Bingo has long been recognised as a useful educational tool as it is useful exercise for the brain, and with baseball being such a good physical workout it is possible to hit two educational birds with one stone…or ball!”

Though the craze is yet to dominate bingo news pages, Bainbridge is confident that it could prove as popular in school as the game of bingo itself, saying: “More and more young people are playing bingo for free on mobile applications. Its increasing popularity makes it a great opportunity for the kids to enjoy themselves and still get physical. Why shouldn’t other schools use it?”

Why indeed. As Bainbridge herself is aware, the educational potential of bingo has long been utilised and has a history dating back to nineteenth century Germany. Today, online gaming has catapulted bingo to the top of the to-play list for young and old alike, while baseball shows no signs of diminishing popularity. Together, they are a force to be reckoned with.

Embed Historically, both bingo and Baseball have much in common. Both originated in Europe – the former in the sixteenth century Italy and the latter in nineteenth century England – and both have evolved through the ages to become two of the most widely played games across the globe. Now, however, some enterprising educationalists have taken the comparisons a step further, marrying the two games to create baseball bingo. <BR><BR> The idea is a simple one. The game of baseball is set up as normal, with one team batting and the other in the field. The bingo element arrives with the captain of each team being given a free bingo card with key items from the game printed at random. Words like “strike”, “home run” and “no ball” are printed on these cards, with the umpire acting as caller. When he makes the calls, the captains mark off the words from their cards. <BR><BR> The game has proved to be effective, and is the brainchild of Elizabeth Bainbridge, a secondary teacher of Physical Education based in Bristol, England. She said that she came up with the game to enliven pupils, who benefit from multi-tasking. <BR><BR> “Studies have shown that using both sides of the brain simultaneously can have a significant effect on the cognitive abilities of pupils,” she said. “Bingo has long been recognised as a useful educational tool as it is useful exercise for the brain, and with baseball being such a good physical workout it is possible to hit two educational birds with one stone…or ball!” <BR><BR> Though the craze is yet to dominate bingo news pages, Bainbridge is confident that it could prove as popular in school as the game of bingo itself, saying: “More and more young people are playing bingo for free on mobile applications. Its increasing popularity makes it a great opportunity for the kids to enjoy themselves and still get physical. Why shouldn’t other schools use it?” <BR><BR> Why indeed. As Bainbridge herself is aware, the educational potential of bingo has long been utilised and has a history dating back to nineteenth century Germany. Today, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/audio/2006/nov/01/andrwe.culf.on.online.gaming?INTCMP=SRCH">online gaming</a> has catapulted bingo to the top of the to-play list for young and old alike, while baseball shows no signs of diminishing popularity. Together, they are a force to be reckoned with. <br /><a href='http://www.berank.com'>Berank</a> | <a href='http://www.berank.com/NHL/baseball-bingo'>Baseball Bingo</a>