VANCOUVER, CANADA — Remember elementary school—when you'd pelt a ball into someone's face in the name of sport?

Well, according to The Washington Post, Canadian researchers from three universities claim dodgeball actually dehumanizes peers and is used as a catharsis for students.

Professor at the University of British Columbia, Joy Butler branded dodgeball as a tool of "oppression" and said, quote, "the message is that it's okay to hurt or dehumanize the other".

And, "dodgeball is the only game where the human being is the target..." no other games focus on it.

According to CTV News, another anti-fun professor David Burns said, "if you practice ganging up on people, over time you'll esteem ganging up on people. If that's what you want, then dodgeball is an excellent tool to that end."

The researchers claim that the annihilation of your opponent during dodgeball creates unsafe conditions within an area that's supposed to encourage positive development.

A paper on their study is set to be published in the European Physical Education Review.