Lately there have been more protests, marches, rallies, shop-ins and boycotts than I can remember from any era. And no, they’re not really a sport, since sports are friendly competitions where a person or team competes to show superiority. Someone comes out a winner.
But let’s look at this for a moment. In this case, the winner isn’t determined by who scores the most points or who was judged best or who knocked out their opponent; however tempting that idea is, these actions are judged by how we are, in the end, represented and treated. And there are definitely points being made in sports and protests. Gaining ground is part of both processes: winning a game or winning a political battle.
The analogies go on and on, but don’t we already overuse sports analogies in dayspeak? Let’s just suffice it to say that I’ve been getting plenty of exercise the past few weeks. Walking and biking has certainly given me some of that exercise, but I gave myself the best as I exercised my right to protest, rally, march, speak and work to hold our elected officials responsible for truly reflecting their constituents’ desires.
Spring up
The seasons of the year in our home are baseball season and not baseball season — and it’s all about the Phillies. We’ve almost dropped as many friends because of their support of the Mets than their Republicanism. I’m fine with your right to speak — just shut the hell up when you’re in our ballpark.
For those fans of the softer sport, head out for the City of Brotherly Love Softball League’s spring skills day 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. March 11 at Palumbo Field, followed by the annual spring bar crawl starting 2 p.m. at Boxers PHL. Open registration for recreational play starts 9:30 a.m., with the women’s divisions starting at 11. For more information or to order your bar-crawl shirt (required to drink and crawl), go to cblsl.org.
Stonewall Sports Philadelphia is throwing a curve (kick)ball into the spring season. For this spring only, everyone signs up as a free agent and will be assigned to teams based on a mix of playing levels, from experienced to “What’s a kickball?” Other seasons will remain the same.
Registration opens Feb. 27 and the season starts April 9; stonewallphilly.leagueapps.com.
Whatever you choose to do as spring establishes itself, always remember to get out and play!
Get Out and Play is published every last Friday of the month. To have your league, team or a special team member covered, email [email protected].