A season-long journey came to an end with an intramural soccer championship for “Dsolly Chained.” The games in intramural sports can be a competitive break from everyday life for athletes who don’t compete at the varsity level. The season could be considered a long, grueling process or an escape from the grind of college academics and life, depending on who you ask. But have intramurals become too competitive?
Intramural sports give athletes around campus who do not participate in a varsity sport the opportunity to compete against others and have fun playing a sport that they may have played their entire lives. Intramural sports are a very popular aspect of Elizabethtown College and have become extremely competitive amongst the student body. Sports such as basketball, soccer and flag football have led to injuries, and fights have broken out during the games in just this year alone.
Some will say intramural sports are too competitive, while others will disagree. Personally, I don’t believe they are too competitive. There is such a thing as healthy competition, and as any athlete who has competed understands, competition is what makes sports fun and keeps driving you forward to be better both in the sport and also as a person. As an athlete, I thrive off the idea that the team I am playing against is trying everything in its power to beat me, while the team I am competing on is pushing to the very limit until the final whistle blows. There are plenty of athletes on this campus who are capable of participating in varsity sports but decide not to, either because of the time commitment or for other personal reasons. Those athletes who are used to always competing at a high level need an outlet and opportunity to compete. That’s where intramural sports come in.
Of course, intramural athletics is rooted in the idea of fun competition, which is usually the case. However, there is such a thing as “too competitive” in intramurals. This ugly creature rears its head when athletes are intentionally hurting others, swearing and sometimes even resorting to fighting and physical altercations as a result of the game. This is when intramural sports get a bad reputation as too intense and not fun for the less aggressive people involved. While I completely agree with pushing both yourself and opponents to the limits until a winner is decided, there is a line that is not to be crossed at the intramural level. It is understandable that your emotions sometimes get the better of you on occasion, but when it is consistently happening game after game, the question of being “too competitive” comes up.
Suffering injuries while participating in intramural sports is not unusual. When athletes are battling to win a game, injuries can occur, especially freak accidents that happen after a wrong step or pivot while running full speed down the court or field. Just the same as the “too competitive” argument there is a line that is being flirted with when discussing the physicality of intramural sports. During flag football, if a player tackles the opposing quarterback, which leads to him injuring his shoulder, then that injury could be the result of over-competitiveness. As an athlete, I understand that injuries are a part of competing. While everyone obviously wants to avoid injuries, sometimes accidents happen, and there can be no one to blame.
I firmly believe that any form of athletics is more fun and enjoyable when there is a serious sense of competition amongst the participants. So, while there is a line that shouldn’t be crossed, the healthy competition that results during basketball or soccer games should not be toned down or avoided at the intramural level. Injuries are part of the game when individuals pick a physical intramural sport, but intramural sports are not to be an outlet for malicious, injurious behavior.
