the world of sports

On New Year’s Day 2005, I toasted to all the new people I would meet, the new friends I would make and the new worlds I would explore. And I got exactly what I asked for: by December last year, I had at least seven new circles of friends, each completely different from the next. Curious bonds were formed from shared interests in religion, volunteer work, travel, history and culture, writing, sports, and government. The best part? All these new friends were complete strangers to me before last year.

In Madrid I learned that one can actually find home anywhere on the planet–she just needs real human moments to go by. So in the hope of making more “homes” in Manila, I claimed 2006 to be another year of new faces and friendships. There’s simply no replacing the rush that comes with entering a roomful of strangers, wide-eyed with anticipation for what to say and who to mark as my “first friend” in the group.

What New World have I explored lately?

Flag football.

A ridiculously fun sport that relies heavily on teamwork, it started here as far back as 1995 (I think). Simply put, it is American Football without the rough contact, as pulling flags worn from the waist takes the place of actual tackling. The crowd is a healthy mix of players, ranging from high school kids to young moms and dads in their post-Varsity glory.

It amazes me how much of a following flag football has. Actually, it amazes me even more to imagine all the thriving non-professional sports in Manila today, each with its own horde of worshippers. Off the top of my head I can think of disc (Ultimate Frisbee), badminton, boxing, basketball, futsal, and of course soccer! Would be fun (but crazy) to explore these worlds one by one…

In any case, I’m slowly beginning to appreciate the animal that is American football–such a complex game with complex rules and equally complex levels of enjoyment. A league started just last month, with at least 10 competing men and women’s teams. For those who are curious, games are held every Saturday at Xavier School, Greenhills.