April 3, 2018
Caleb Bolin
America’s favorite pastime does not always have to be played at the collegiate or even at the competitive level. In fact, it is often played just for the enjoyment that it provides.
There is a gap between not playing baseball at all and playing it competitively here at UCCS.
I am one of the many proud players that has always held a strong passion for the great game of baseball, but don’t want to play it competitively.
Baseball is arguably the second most popular sport in America following football. Baseball has been successful at UCCs. We have an NCAA Division II baseball team, a 9v9 softball intramural team and the brand new Mountain Lion Park baseball field.
Despite this popularity, there is still not sign of an intramural baseball team on campus.
The creation of an intramural baseball team would benefit students who love the game but enjoy a less pressured form of the sport.
Intramural sports are important to college students for many reasons. Among them is the fact that they are, for the most part, student-led, which offers its participants a peer-to-peer cooperation, working together instead of working mainly for a big manager or coach.
This in turn, which offers students a more personalized and liberating experience that creates strong leadership and collaboration skills.
An intramural baseball team would also allow players of various experience levels join together on the same field.
When dealing with a club sport, the stakes to succeed can be high and cause players who do not respond well to competitive demands to struggle. In the case of an intramural sports give, there is the chance for equally talented athletes across the spectrum of skill level to play with a team that focuses more on enjoying the experience.
Intramural sports allow many people with a lot on their plate academically as college students, and sometimes employees to job-wise still have the opportunity to participate in their favorite sport without sacrificing outside responsibilities.
UCCS has 22 club sports and teams while there are only about seven intramural sports open for students to join.
Adding baseball into the mix of intramural sports would not only be increasing the growth of opportunities for intramurals, but would also benefit be reaching a larger audience of baseball enthusiasts and hopeful-athletes alike here on campus.