Let's take a break from all the sports reviews and talk about Chicago Sport & Social Club's Bloody…read moreMary Fest (which, let's be real, drinking boozy calories is way more fun than burning calories). Theater on the Lake was the perfect venue. Part indoor, part outdoor space made it easy to enjoy the beautiful fall morning! Tons of passed appetizers, including ham & cheese mini-sammies, french toast bites, cheddar scones, and more! Not being a Bloody Mary fan myself (I know, I know, blasephemy!) there was still PLENTY of other options, including Truly, spiked sparkling water; Angry Orchard, hard apple cider; and plenty of mimosas! The fest had tons of food and drinks, the voting was easy with multiple tablets set up by the stage, and the vibe was super laid back and casual, making for the perfect Sunday. We had a blast. Totally looking forward to next year's already! Thanks for an awesome event, Sport and Social Club :)

Fitz-Hume!! Do you…read moreremember that scene in Spies Like Us when Emmett Fitz-Hume (Chevy Chase) and Austin Milbarge (Dan Akroyd) attempt to pass themselves off as doctors? And then, of course, a patient needing an emergency appendectomy arrives, and Fitz-Hume and Milbarge go to work with their scalpel, having no clue what to do, all the while slowly inching it in different directions as they get confirmation from the actual doctors... The softball umpires for Chicago Sport & Social Club must have studied this clip from the movie repeatedly because they've performed analogous actions during games on multiple occasions. I was playing in a game earlier this week, and a woman on the other team steps up to the plate. She grazes the ball with her bat, and the ball drops about two feet in front of home plate. She releases her bat as she runs to first, and the bat drops about one foot in front of home plate. Meanwhile, the ball slowly rolls backward, and then stops at the bat which is still in fair territory. The umpire just stares at the ball dumbfoundedly for several seconds, entirely unsure of what to do. From shortstop, I finally yell, "That's out of play." The umpire then looks up and triumphantly shouts, "Foul ball!" (While not technically correct, I figured arguing this minor detail would be moot since the outcome was the same.) Unfortunately, this example is just one of many blunders repeatedly made by CSSC's umpire crew. This is the second season I've played with CSSC, and the officiating has been atrocious nearly every game. I'm convinced it is run by some dude who knew someone at the Chicago Park District, got a license for sporting events, and then hired all of his college bros to ump games. I'm certainly no expert, but it amazes me that a sports club doesn't know jack about ASA rules. It would be one thing if they simply made up their own rules--and in fact, they do--as the games are being played, but even within those made-up rules, there's absolutely no consistency. You have no idea what is going to happen from game to game. I could bore you with several more examples, but then you might think I'm just some overly competitive jerkface. I'm not. I just find it obnoxious when umps give various teams (and even sometimes my own team) significant advantages because they don't even know the rules of their own league. I can't speak to how other sports leagues or social events are handled by CSSC, but I can say with experience, that the other two major sports clubs in the city know how to officiate softball correctly. The only reason I don't play in one of those leagues is because my company pays for the league I'm currently playing in. I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I'm certainly not shy about trashing it on the internet. P.S. There are no restrooms near the softball diamond I play on, so I just pee in the bushes. If you're in Grant Park, don't have a picnic near any bushes.

I highly recommend Silly Pickles. I have played in Silly Pickles for several seasons now, and I am…read morereally enjoying it. It is a very fun and well-organized pickleball league, and a great place to meet people, learn the sport, and continue improving. Ashton, Kinsey, and Holly do a great job with communication, scheduling, and creating a fun, positive environment in the Atlanta league!!! The league has all levels of play and uses a ladder format, which makes it welcoming and enjoyable whether you are brand new or already have experience playing. They are very focused on the players and making sure everybody has a good time! I would definitely recommend Silly Pickles to anyone interested in playing pickleball, meeting new people, and having a great time.

Was looking for a casual-competitive league in the SF Bay Area to play some good games and also…read moremeet some great people in a low pressure environment. Been to one session so far, and am pretty happy I signed up. It seems well-organized and the ranking system isn't overly complicated. You get to play plenty of matches with room for more pickup games and rallying if you choose. Overall, good value and solid execution

I've been a CMSA member for a while now, and this review is for the badminton league ONLY. (I play…read moreother sports and have had NO problems with those leagues whatsoever). My husband, neighbors/friends, and I recently were talked into considering joining the doubles badminton winter league. My husband has had extensive injuries/surgeries on his arm/shoulder and can no longer participate in high-level high-contact sports. Thinking that badminton was an easy activity to participate in without a lot of risk to injury, we went to a couple of the open gyms. I'd like to say how disappointed I am at how badminton is run. The coordinator, Don Brown, likes to facilitate a skill-based league and won't let spouses or friends play with each other on the same team if one person is more skilled than the other. However, he is hypocritical because he praises an ultra-competitive husband/wife team when the husband "tones down" his level when his wife plays because she's not as good. Don wouldn't allow that for one person on our team, who is the most familiar with how to play, and it just baffled us all as to why. Apparently he's complaining about how other recreational players will complain. The whole point of us joining a team together is so that we can just learn and have fun. Don really has a stick up his ass about skill level, and from observing the other players that come to open gym, it's easy to see that they are all the same - not very welcoming to those who want to learn, or those who want to play together. It's apparent everybody just wants to win and leave the court. Nobody can smile or laugh or have fun. So, needless to say, Don has certainly alienated us from joining the league. He's clearly displayed how it's run and how their players act. If you are a beginner player thinking about joining this league, I'd suggest you find a different one to join.

If I could review this as a zero, I would. The only reason that CMSA is successful at all is…read morebecause it's the ONLY sports outlet for popular lesbian sports (did anyone say Softball? Flag Football?). The league managers on the women's side are completely unresponsive. Do you have any problems? Did you register as a free agent in order to meet other people? Don't bother trying to get ahold of anyone who's 'running' the league. If you do hear from them the response will rude and unprofessional. The fees behind the leagues are completely unclear. First you have to pay a membership fee. Then you need to pay an individual league fee. Lastly, there's a team fee. Most sports organizations (that are social but NOT lgbtq oriented) only charge you an individual fee OR a team fee, not both. I will say that the men's side seems to be more responsive (when I've played co-ed it's typically a guy running it). If there were other options (which there IS another LGBTQ league, they're just not as big), I would go somewhere else in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, CMSA is the only LGBTQ choice for the majority of the sports, so I'll keep playing. That's probably the reason CMSA is willing to treat it's members so poorly.

Mike the commissioner of The SKEE League hosted the entertainment for our work event last night at…read moreBegyle Brewing Company. He has to be the most energetic guy on earth! From start to finish he had everyone dialed in to the competitive spirit chasing a victory to earn the highly coveted Trophskee! This is definitely a must try if you're considering something for a group activity or event. Mike did a great job of keeping the action rolling with games and tournaments the entire night. Not an easy task with twenty of us but he organized it great! You can tell he loves his job and he's top notch at it.

The. Most. Fun. You'll. Ever. Have. This has got to be one of the greatest leagues in Chicago…read more I've played off and on since the first season at Glascott's and have had a blast, won some pretty cool trophies and made some pretty great friends! Mike, the SkeeEO, is hilarious - he gives everyone a unique nickname and is so welcoming! He pours everything into this league and it really shows! If you don't already know him, you aren't living your best life. They have a few locations now at Glascott's, Begyle, Cheesies Wicker Park. Go play skeeball! Go meet Mike!

I've been playing indoor volleyball with this sports league for several years now. I find this…read moreleague to be a little more organized than CMSA. The games are mostly at Center on Halsted, but if there are too many teams in a season there's overflow courts at secondary locations (we've had to play at Inter-American Magnet School and Welles Park in the past). I started out not knowing anything about volleyball, but there are a handful of people willing to help you learn and build skills. Sometimes your team may be offered a mentor if you ask. AAC also offers open gym sessions on Saturday mornings (fall/winter/spring). Games are on Tuesdays and Wednesday nights. Dues and team fees are certainly lower than CMSA. There are changing lockers on the 3rd floor by the courts. The only thing that I might comment on is that the rules for this league may vary a bit from other leagues or official NCAA rules. But that it caters to player safety and the venue (there's long nets separating the courts so it mitigates interference). But I will say this - the organizers are pretty prompt in responding to and addressing any of your concerns. This league also offers Beach Volleyball on Monday nights (at Montrose Beach) - it's less crowded than the Friday night league.

Athletic alliance of chicago (AAC), chicago's finest sports association. They hold indoor…read morevolleyball, beach volleyball, indoor floor hockey, indoor football, table tennis, darts and women's bastketball leagues. Check their website for more info and schedule of activities at www.athleticallianceofchicago.com

For young kids, it's fun. It totally gamifies hitting. Kids can hit off a tee and see the ball "fly…read morethrough the air" in their favorite stadiums. For youth level hitters, there are three things that are next level: 1) The pitching machine is behind a synchronized video screen. It simulates kid pitch wind up, delivery and timing. (Most young hitter need "kid pitch" reps. 2) Immediate feedback. The hittrax tech is used by pro teams. Youth player can see ball flight, exit velo and launch angle immediately. They can mentally assign the feel of barreling the ball with the outcome 3) Stats. Want to see how results have improved session over session or over the duration of training? Check. Want to see how one bat performs compares to another? Check. Want to work on 30 straight pitches on the outer half and see how adjustments affect outcome? Check. It's a baseball amusement park for beginners or advanced players. Add top level instruction options and this is an ideal baseball business. Highly recommend.

Saturday night brought us to the fire pitch for a local DPL girls game for my daughter. We've never…read morevisited this field before and we're excited about the prospect of playing soccer near Wrigley Field. If you have more time and and you're into Chicago baseball, this place will put you right in the area of all the action. Our visit was strictly soccer though, and while the team did not disappoint, the field that they played on had a bit of a grade on the east side goal and my daughter said that there was a buried underwire that that tripped people up every so often when they were near the goal box. The turf was super hairy, make sure that you plan on brushing yourself off after the game. We didn't visit the restaurant that's attached to this facility, but it seemed like a restaurant that had a lot of different options for all kind of game and beer drinkers. The Chicago Fire sponsors this field and so you can get all type of Chicago fire attire. That's your jam. It's great to see pro sports sponsoring these type of fields so that kids have opportunity for League games in their city community. There are indoor bathrooms on site which is a pro when it comes to an outdoor soccer game.

I've been playing at The Fire Pitch for a few years now, and it's consistently one of the best…read moresoccer facilities in the area. The fields are always in great shape -- the turf is well maintained, the lines are clear, and the layout makes it easy to watch multiple games without feeling crowded. Even during busy league nights, everything feels organized and professional. One thing I really appreciate is the parking. There's plenty of it, which makes showing up for games stress-free. No scrambling for a spot or walking far with your bag after a long match. The food is another underrated part of the experience. For a sports complex, the menu is actually solid. It's a great spot to grab something after a game and hang out with teammates. The overall atmosphere feels welcoming and community-focused, which is probably why I've kept coming back year after year. If you're looking for quality fields, easy parking, and a good post-game vibe, this place delivers.

Great programming for kids! Our two kids attend the summer camp, tennis, and baseball there and all…read moreare wonderful.

It is my favorite place to go my family loves it and they do sports there and I did a birthday part…read morethere and they was organized with the party.And there gym is good they have three gym at NBGC and people there are so nice