When one thinks of kickball, typically memories of a big red rubber ball and countless hours
spent on an elementary school playground come to mind. At least that's what Iused to think. Kickball was my favorite sport as a child, nothing was better than the hot summer days, that amazing big red rubber ball, and pegging one's friends as they tried to round the bases. Never did I think that I would get to relive my childhood days and ways of kicking a ball around a baseball field as an adult.
Lo and behold I soon found out that there are actually a ton of adult kickball leagues across the country. Who knew!? It gets better, not only do adults play kickball, they combine it with drinking festivities as well. The league I'm in does not allow for us to drink on the field but there are leagues that do. What is better than playing a childhood sport and drinking afterwards with good friends? I will tell you, absolutely nothing.
Some people still don't believe me when I tell them I play kickball, they say, “Kickball, really? Isn't that a child's game?” Why no good friend, it is not just a child's game, anyone who mistakenly thinks that adult kickball in America is just for fun is surely mistaken. The fools that come in thinking that if they played kickball when they are younger that they can just nonchalantly step on the field and compete have no idea of the serious following that kickball has today. They come in thinking they can just try and kick the ball as far as they can, not realizing that that girl in the outfield is actually not going to let anything drop around her. Seasoned veterans of kickball try and tell the rookies that they need to bunt the ball, they of course always balk at the idea of bunting in kickball. Then as they watch the more seasoned teams scoring run after run after most of their players bunt to get on base, they begin to realize how serious this sport is.
Currently there is a huge tournament each year that they call “The Circuit” which includes one day tournaments throughout the year all over the country, mainly in major cities such as New York City or Boston. This is the second year that The Circuit has put on a National Tour. Anybody can put a team into a tournament, after each one, every team is given a ranking to determine who is eligible for the Circuit Cup Championship in November.
I myself have participated in two of these tournaments and I can say that it is the closest thing to a professional kickball league that it could be. Everywhere you look there are teams decked out in Nike, Under Armour, Adidas, and other serious uniforms. Almost as if they are sponsored by them, as one day I am sure they will be. The competition at these tournaments is fierce and teams travel from all over just to spend a day playing kickball. As you start to go to more of these tournaments, you see many of the same teams, such as Lock it Up, OSC, New York Shower Hammers, Lights Out and Legit.
All these teams come together for the glory of saying they are the Official Kickball Champions. The Circuit Cup Championship is coming up next weekend down in New Orleans. This year the Situation from Virginia won The Circuit's National Tour so they will be the Number 1 seed going into the championship. The winners will be earning $10,000, for those of you who are reading this still thinking kickball is stupid, read that again, yes I said $10,000 for playing a day of kickball. The best of the best will be there all revving up and ready to go to be the Kickball Champions of 2012.
The kickball following in America is getting bigger and bigger by the day. So before you criticize your friends that are participating, or thinking that anyone can just play kickball, I recommend you spend just one of your Saturdays watching the brilliance that is adult kickball.
To learn more about Adult Kickball Leagues you can also visit the World Adult Kickball Association's website at http://www.kickball.com/.
