Red Rover

Red Rover (also known as Bullrush, Forcing the City Gates and Octopus Tag) is an outdoor game played primarily by children on playgrounds. This 19th century children's game is thought to have originated in England and then spread to Australia, Canada and the United States. The game is played between two imaginary lines, usually around thirty feet apart. Each team lines up along one of these lines, and the game starts when the first team (usually called the "East" or "South" team, although this does not relate to the actual relative location of the teams) calls out, "Red rover, red rover, send [name of player on opposite team] right over." or "Red Rover, Red Rover, let [name of player of opposing team] come over." or "Red rover, red rover, we call [name of player on opposite team] over."

The immediate goal for the person called is to run to the other line and break the chain (formed by the linking of hands). If the person called fails to break the chain, this player joins the team which called "Red rover". However, if the player successfully breaks the chain, this player may select either of the two "links" broken by the successful run, and send them to join the team that had been called out. The other team then calls out "Red rover" for a player on the first team, and play continues.

When only one player is left on a team, they must try and break through a link. If they do not succeed, the opposing team wins. Otherwise, they are able to get a player back for their team.

Risks

The game can be a potentially painful experience. For example, when the runner breaks through a link (or attempts to break through), it can hurt the linkers' arms or body or knock them to the ground. "Clotheslining" (when one player runs into the link made by two players and is caught by the neck), is also a very common injury. Due to the possibility of injury, the game has been banned in a number of schools.

Derek Murawski Song

"Red Rover (Feat. Rap Barbie)" is also a pop song by Derek Murawski and produced by Seandroid, released April 1st, 2010. It was later made available for download on AmazonMP3. Shane Dawson prominently used the song in a video posted to one of his popular YouTube channels. It was later made available via iTunes.

See also

• British Bulldogs
• Hana Ichi Monme (A similar Japanese game.)
• Tag (game)