Steal the Bacon
Steal the Bacon is a tag-based children's game, in which teams try to steal a flag or other item (the "bacon") from the field without being tagged.
[edit] Rules
The players are divided into teams, typically two, although more are possible. Players are assigned a call-sign, often a number, which is shared by a member of the opposing team. The teams line up on opposite edges of the playing area, which has the "bacon" in the center. A referee calls out the call-sign, and the team members who have that call-sign must run to the center, grab the bacon, and return to their teammates without being tagged by the other player(s) with that call-sign. Tagging of a player may not occur before that player has touched the "bacon". The referee may call out more than one call-sign resulting in many pairs of players, each player attempting to steal the "bacon".
Occasionally, this game will be used as a fun educational or reinforcement tool. Instead of directly giving the call sign, a teacher acting as referee can give indirect clues which the players have to deduce in order to know who was called. For instance each student gets the name of an ex-president and the teacher calls "Our first president!" This way of applying the rules is also used sometimes to reinforce simple mathematical skills.
A full contact version of Steal the Bacon exists at many all boys summer camps. With this set of rules, players are required to return the "bacon" across their team line. In addition, players must prevent the "bacon" from crossing their opponent's line by any means necessary. Play this version on soft grass or sand.
[edit] Popular culture
A 2010 PBS documentary, New York Street Games, mentions Steal the Bacon.[1].
[edit] References
- ^ New York Street Games (Motion picture). New York City. http://www.newyorkstreetgames.com/home.html. Retrieved 14 Nov 2011.
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