Spring 2009 - Issue 5

The Silversword: Home > Sports > The Case for Flag Football

The Case for Flag Football

Anatol v. Zitzewitz, Staff Writer

Chaminade’s most competitive and exciting sport event may be flag football.

That’s right, flag football. Not golf, not softball, not soccer, maybe volleyball or basketball, and definitely not tennis.

This semester many students were engaged in intramural flag football (it rotates with baskeball), in which four teams of seven or more competitors played against each other. Chaminade held these flag football games at Kanewai Field near UH Manoa on Sunday evenings.

The difference between flag football and regular American football is that rather than tackling the opponent, you must pull off one of the three flags that are tied around your rival’s waist.

Here’s why I think flag football is so wonderful:

First of all, the flag-football tournament this semester really caught the Chaminade non-athlete’s attention.

The tournaments are designed to fill students with excitement and compassion as well as build a stronger sense of community. By letting off steam, students can balance the academic stress that builds as papers and exams seem to strike like merciless thunderbolts.

Yes, women’s volleyball and men’s basketball offer a lot of excitement for the crowds (that are still too small), but the average student only gets to cheer from the sidelines. True, deep engagement can only be developed if one takes part in the action itself. By participating directly, a strong bond between team members may form and create a foundation for friendships.

Here’s another reason flag football is so great: Other sports are hard to get a glimpse of; golf, softball, soccer, and tennis have poor attendance because many of the games are far away, whereas many basketball and volleyball games are held in the Saint Luis Gymnasium on campus.

But the only event at which all students, women and men, can show their athletic capabilities and talent is the intramural tournament. 

Even though people may say that flag football should be called “fag-football” because there is less contact and collision, there were some gnarly injuries this semester. Three players suffered bloody open cuts on their heads from unpadded collisions.

Some of the games were cancelled because certain players got so amped and aggravated by the referees’ calls, that physical scuffles seemed nearly unavoidable. Temper management for those individuals could be helpful, but even still, every game has been a great experience for the players.

Tricia Castro, who coordinates the intra mural tournaments, is pleased by the excitement, the rivalries, and the energy generated by the games.

“Even though at times the tournament has been very stressful, it was rewarding to see that students had a good time,” said Castro. “If they appreciate the event, my job was successful.”