Oh, boy, another athletic-sports-type topic. Anyway, if you play sports (and I know many of you do), do you prefer to be on a team or just... "pick-up"? You know? Like, is it more about being recognized for any skills you and/or your friends have (yeah, kind off coming off of Steven's topic) or for just playing the sport itself?

Personally, I don't really know. I mean, sure, it'd be kind of cool to be recognized and noted for my skills in skateboarding, perse. But, to be honest, out of many other better skaters, I don't necessarily have a guaranteed chance at getting sponsored. Although it may be cool to get sponsored, I would still love to skateboard, regardless (mainly because if I got sponsored, I'd still remember what got me there in the first place). So, yeah, I guess I'm more about the game as opposed to the fame.

I was sponsored when I was 15 by Go Skate for awhile, mostly for vert.

I don't necessarily prefer a "team" because not all sports qualify under that characteristic, but sanctioned, organized matches are way better than pick-up casual play.

i like pick up more, but neither one of these reasons excludes the other so it's about both to me. now i play more for the sake of just playing, becuase i don't go regularly, so recognition doesn't develop. i used to play for recognition though.

if you play pick up games regularly though, you gain recognition for your skills from peers who play regular. maybe this depends where you are, i don't know. but if you are playing a sport like basketball in a city at a public place, there are regulars and levels of hierarchy. if you do it enough you get to know them and they know you, you develop a reputation and what not. streetball is organized without being organized.

maybe this is just because i'm a basketball guy though. basketball is easily accessible. pick up games are easy to come by and basketball lends itself well to a non organized environment, since there isn't much equipment or space needed, and the game still works whether you have 2 people or 10. if i liked another sport then maybe i would like organized better...probably so.

Especially if you become regular.

Yeah I wish soccer were easier to organize. Fortunately we have a good number of people that come out every Sunday now, though. It started off as like 8 people total, then there were about 14 of people our age and high schoolers started coming out too (varsity players, etc). We just started mixing teams together and having a pretty good time.

I love organized games too, though. It's a guarantee that you'll be able to play a game, that it will be played properly, that rules will be followed, offsides will be called, etc. In the pick-up games none of that happens, but then again that's just for fun and I don't really care seeing as I'm having... fun.