It may lack the helmets and shoulder pads, the tailgating and the television ratings of a traditional college football scene, but intramural flag football gives the Creighton community a chance to have fun, build relationships and get some exercise.
Flag football draws the most participants out of any intramural sport on campus. All students are encouraged to participate and can compete in a variety of leagues based on skill level.
The sport begins in the middle of September and runs through the end of October. The regular season lasts four weeks and the playoffs can last up to three, making it the longest intramural sport.
Before the regular season starts, Creighton’s Campus Recreation welcomes the university’s newest members to the world of intramural sports with a freshman flag football tournament. College of Arts and Sciences senior and Program Assistant for Competitive Sports Tanner Opichka sees the tournament as a great chance to integrate new students into Creighton’s intramural culture.
“It really gets our freshmen involved on campus and teaches them the rules of the game; and gets them involved in intramurals,” Opichka said. “We use that as our referee training too, so we basically get everyone acclimated to flag football right away.”
Jason Gant, the assistant director of competitive sports for campus recreation, added that the benefits of playing flag football go far beyond the field.
“Flag football is great because it’s your first exposure to a team when you’re on campus,” Gant said. “A lot of these kids will go join fraternities and join a lot of different student organizations, but the first fraternity and the first student organization is their freshman flag football team.”
While students may not have the opportunity to cheer for a Bluejay football team on Saturdays, many appreciate the opportunity for the involvement that campus recreation brings to the school. Creighton’s small campus size allows for all students to participate in intramurals, no matter their skill level.
“Having a big intramural presence on campus is something I was unaware about how much I would appreciate when coming to Creighton,” College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Margo Scott said. “My friends at other schools might have the opportunity to attend their school’s football games — which is awesome — but they don’t have as much opportunity to participate and get involved.”
“It’s just a good time for people who enjoy going out and competing on a weekly basis and having fun with it,” School of Pharmacy and Health Professions student Drew Prescott said (Class of 2017).
Opichka said that the focus of intramurals is not so much on athletics as it is the chance to have fun and get some exercise with friends in between studying.
Just 60 miles from Creighton’s campus is Memorial Stadium — home to a tradition of football excellence and the NCAA’s longest running sellout streak.
A number of Creighton students make the trip to Lincoln to watch the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Opichka said that flag football does not fill the void in terms of fandom when it comes to college football, but it gives students a chance to play the game they love and get some exercise while having fun with friends.
The goal of intramural sports is to provide the Creighton community opportunities to compete, exercise, socialize and develop skills in safe, fun environments.
“It gets them out of the residence halls into an environment where they can compete, they can meet new people, they can have fun, they can develop friendships and can even develop rivalries,” Gant said. “It’s my favorite sport; I love it and I can’t get enough of it.”