Chicago Kickball is just genius. What better way to get through the week then to spend your Wednesday nights kickin balls around and being goofy on the field. Only to retire to the bar (Ravenswood Pub) with a huge group of great people.. to eat excellent food, play some fiercely competitive flip cup, and generally be merry? I seriously doubt you can give me a better idea of what to do with my Wednesday nights! Now if anyone can give me some suggestions on how to improve those rough Thursday morning.. I am all ears. read more

roll the ball kick the ball watch balls bounce and boobies jiggle fun times with kids of all ages the kind with ids to play flippy cup after sometimes before yay! i forgot its like dodgeball and baseball and recess and EVERYbody plays and sometimes with the game ball too! if you can't have fun doing this, you're like a total poopoo head! this review written under the influence of kumas;p read more

This is what I have learned playing kickball last year with these crazy people: 1. I am not nearly as innocent as I should be. 2. Vaughn likes getting hosed by Teddy. A lot. 3. You should always wear pants because you never know who is taking pictures of you. 4. Nikki C. can handle his tequila. Seriously. 5. A 45 minute/5 inning game is about what most "adults" can take for a game. ADD is alive and well here. 6. For $60, you get a t-shirt, 14 games (incl. all-star game and tourney) and a whole lot of fun. And the stories... oh god, the stories... Kicking balls? The best time you could possibly have on a Wed night! What else are you going to do? Sit at home? read more

As a sport, kickball (along with dodgeball) fades at just about the time mainstream competitive sports -- baseball, basketball, volleyball kick into high-gear, about 6th grade. The stigma of kickball being a juvenile sport is really a blessing in disguise -- it can remain fun, loose and playful while other sports, even in recreational leagues, can turn a bit nasty and highly-competetive. Now here's the kicker (ack! pun!). Despite the voluntary willingness of its participants to play loose, goof around, and generally enjoy it as every 20-going-on-12 year old would, that old adult-y competitive pettiness (that most people signed up to avoid) starts to seep into the game. There are many kudos to give to Kickball Chicago: 1. It's run non-for-profit, as opposed to the other league in town Chicago Kickball. That means no dues, no overseeing body, and much cheaper registration (60$ for a team of 12?) 2. It's social. Ravenswood Pub hosts all the after-kick drinking, a few theme parties interspersed with league play, and ongoing Flip-Cup rivalries that most players take more seriously than the kickball itself. 3. It's communal. Small rosters and less than 16 teams allow any moderately-outgoing people to wind up knowing half the players on the other teams. There's also some detractors: 1. Unideal Locale. Chicago Sport & Social has a deathgrip on all lighted parks in the area... meaning by the end of the fall league you WILL be playing in unilluminated twilight, especially if you play the late game. 2. Playground Rules: The rules are well-defined on their website but when it comes down to it, people play as they please, hoping that the volunteer ump's don't notice. Or teams play unfairly, hoping that the other team doesn't call them out on it in a conscience attempt to keep things fun. 3. Adolescence Prevails. Most of the games are great, but then there's weeks when things get snippy or sometimes downright ugly. Trash-talking is there, poor sportsmanship is there -- it's just like everyone is back in 6th grade again, but there's no teacher to go run and tell. 4. Adult-y-ness. There is a playoffs at the end of the year, and it inevitably gets competitive. Further (see #2 & #3), teams on the brink of losing have been known to pull out all the stops to get the "w" -- complaining to the well-meaning volunteer umps that the other team shouldn't be allowed to play because they are illegally substituting players, are playing with a gender-unbalanced roster, are playing with too many or too few fielders, and various other forms of cheating (which, in a particular case I'm referencing) they hadn't been. So. K.C. -- Mad props for setting up a great framework for a truly social league, and good luck working out the kinks! read more

I got into this league when Megan G put out a call for people to join her team. The rest is history. You can't beat good friends, kickball and lots of hi jinks on a Wednesday night to break up the week. read more

I've been looking to join a kickball league, and this one looks like a lot of fun, but I can't find any information on the schedule -- Every Wednesday, alternating Saturdays, various times throughout the week, etc... I dug around and tried contacting the people through the active.com registration, but no one has gotten back to me... Anyone know how to get ahold of these folks? read more

Best kickball league ever. It's reasonably priced, runs from May until Aug, fun teams, and has a good vibe.

The season is about to get underway and I am PUMPED for Chicago kickball. This group is in a league of its own. I've played co-ed sports with all the other major organizations out there...but I look forward to kickball the most out of all of them. The organizers focus only on this league and they work tirelessly to make it fantastically awesome! The website is custom and allows you to have communication with your team off the field. The sponsor bar (Ravenswood Pub) is the perfect post game location. They have a huge back beer garden and provide a drink special and a meal after all our games. What really makes it a great time is the people and the games. All the teams are very spirited and we have a blast on the field every week. It never gets overly competitive to the point of annoyance and the team costumes and themes really make it all a ton of fun. One of the best parts of the league is that everyone goes to the same bar after the games so you get to know people from all of the teams. If you are looking for a fun and easy going group to make some friends....join a Chicago kickball team and let the party begin! read more