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Tomorrow could be the greatest day in the history of the country! Okay, maybe that's overstating it a bit. But it's not overstating it to say that children in playgrounds, gym teachers, and adult kickballers will have their lives made better tomorrow. Okay, that's a bit much too. Let's just say that tomorrow, sanity takes over the Kash guys minds for once.

As of tomorrow, the WAKA kickball rules will be FREE for people to use. That's right! No longer do people have to cower in fear at possibly infringing on their "copyrighted" rules. They have been oh so generous to this point, as they state:

WAKA has always provided free license to schools, parks, charities, and other select organizations...

Odd because just a year or so ago they charged DC Kickball with using trade secrets including the rules in their frivolous lawsuit. Maybe they've just had a change of heart. Or maybe they realize that, incredibly I know, they didn't create kickball nor its rules. Maybe they realize that trying to sue people for using a red ball and putting bases out and then kicking a ball is not something you can actually copyright.

Now, other leagues have had a share alike agreement with users of their rules as long as they are given credit for the use of the rules. WAKA has always believed you should pay them. In fact, WAKA a few years ago they made it so that you could not even print out the rules - EVEN THOUGH YOU DID PAY THEM AND WERE PLAYING WITH WAKA! Maybe no one was willing to pay them and still - gasp - were able to form leagues and play anyway with their own rules. Or maybe, as their PR piece states:

...WAKA is happy to take these extra steps toward upholding its original mission statement to "provide and promote the joy of kickball to those young at heart".

Although it seems to me that the "extra steps" were: making it impossible to download the rules, suing people, and copyrighting the rules. It also seems to me that if one was providing and promoting "the joy of kickball" one would not be suing other people or threatening them with lawsuits. But that's just me.

Fear not though, the Kash guys have trademarked the term "World Kickball Champions" and now "New American Pastime" - I guess I owe them money now, I wish I had a Kash register sound effect. So they won't be poor.

Also, the latest press release boasts 25,000 players. It's been quite a year for the Kash guys - up and down wise. Tiffany, one of their spokesman, stated they had 50,000 in a CBS interview. An earlier statement from them stated 10-15,000 - and now they've reached 25,000. I wonder what the next number will be - apparently it's anyone's guess!

I'll credit the newer leagues and the independents for forcing the Kash guys' hand on this one. They tried to bleed even more money out of people to use their rules and it didn't work. What's more, neither did their threats. If people want to play a game, they will, and that's what the WAKA guys learned here.

No word on whether they are copyrighting the use of t-shirts to play in or rubber bases yet, so stay tuned. Maybe the next press release will boldly proclaim:

WAKA ANNOUNCES "FREE KICKBALL AIR" FOR ALL

That would be so nice of them - letting us breathe their air...