According to a list in the Princeton Review titled “Everyone Plays Intramural Sports,” Fordham University ranks second, sandwiched between Gettysburg College and Texas Christian University. Funny enough, if you have played intramural sports here at Fordham in the past school year, you would have never guessed this.
Intramural sports at Fordham have a forfeiting problem, and if it is not addressed soon, the Rams will be much further down on the list mentioned above.
Everyone knows the excitement of a volleyball or basketball match. After a long week of homework and tests, you show up to the court or field only to find out at the very last minute that the team you were supposed to face is a no-show. I would compare the experience to showing up at a concert venue only to discover that your tickets were fake.
People who don’t care about this as much might say, “Griffin, why are you complaining about intramural no-shows? I’m sure you’ve done it once or twice.” You know what, they’re right. I have been a no-show once or twice, but I believe my and most people’s reasons for missing a game can be avoided entirely.
While I don’t believe I will have the power to cause any change, I don’t care. I will give you Griffin’s three-step plan to fix intramural sports because I want to be number one on the Princeton Review’s list.
For starters, can we all agree that scheduling playoffs during finals week sucks for all parties involved. Whether you are a referee or a player, it is almost always going to be an inconvenience for you to play sometimes multiple matches in one night at 10 p.m. the night before tests worth 20% of your grade. I have personally been eliminated and lost multiple playoff games because teammates don’t want to skip recapping for finance or biology exams, and I don’t blame them!
The next and potentially most effective solution should be to provide less leniency to teams that miss games. Currently, teams can forfeit two games before they are booted from the league. However, in most cases, teams can email the league where they are participating, explain their situation and get one last chance. This final step should be moved up a little bit. I propose that Fordham institutes a “one strike and you’re out” policy, giving teams only one forfeit. I am not entirely unjust in my solutions. Intramural teams that miss a game for whatever reason in this new system would be allowed to send a written apology for missing the game and be granted one last chance, essentially forcing teams to beg for their place in the league. These changes will force more teams to get their act together if they are serious about maintaining the league’s integrity. At the very minimum, it provides a way for more committed players to guilt their not-so-committed teammates into showing up while also eliminating the “bad apple” teams more quickly, providing less confusion come playoff time.
The final solution that all intramural players should love is hiring more referees and having officials who are somewhat knowledgeable in the sport they are refereeing. I know it’s beating a dead horse to complain about intramural officiating, but it truly is something that unites all intramural players. Intramural sports are not life or death, but when your basketball referee asks you for advice on calls because he’s never watched a game of basketball before (true story), there might be a problem. If the current referees lack specific sports knowledge, either don’t assign them to those games or hire more. Tuition was increased again, after all. Knowledgeable referees equal a better playing experience, which in turn equals more players wanting to play. Lastly, intramural referees, I know you are doing God’s work, and I thank you, but some of you could use a brush-up on the rulebook.
So there we have it; I just solved intramural sports. I’ll see you guys out there for playoffs, which will be taking place smack dab in the middle of us moving out and cramming for finals.
