Teams set up for a play as they compete in the preseason.
Photo submitted by Jair Wright.
Florida A&M University is well known for its college football team that plays games every Saturday in autumn. One of the sports that goes under the radar is intramural flag football.
The flag football preseason just started last week as teams prepare for the regular season, which will begin on Monday, Oct. 8.
The intramural sports program at the recreation center on campus provides students with the opportunity to take part in organized leagues and tournaments. The program puts together tournaments for other sports such as basketball, softball, and kickball, but flag football stands out for some students because of its competitive nature.
Jovan Dilworth, a freshman physical education major, is a referee for the intramural sports program.
“The game is very fast paced and it’s way more intense than I thought it would it be,” he said. “It’s very competitive and has a lot of underrated athletes in my opinion.”
The league is a mixed-gender association as it is filled with teams consisting of both males and females that compete against each other.
Every year the league consists of at least eight teams that compete throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. Every team is automatically eligible for the playoffs, but once they lose they are eliminated from contention. The team that wins the final bout of the playoffs goes on to play the top team from Tallahassee Community College.
“I’ve been playing in this league since my freshman year here at FAMU but last year was the first time my team won the championship game against TCC,” said senior health leisure and fitness major Zachary Lewis.
That game is usually then followed by a tournament held in Gainesville that is called the Swamp Bowl. All of the schools that participate in intramural sports compete in a tournament to find out which is the top school. This event will take place Oct. 19-21.
“It costs $200 to register a team for the Swamp Bowl,” said Coach Pie, who is the director of recreation and intramural sports at FAMU.
The winner of the Swamp Bowl tournament earns a spot at the National Flag Football Championships in Pensacola. The team that wins this tournament is awarded a trophy. The games will be held next year on Jan. 4-6.