Underdog Sports Leagues was started with
a simple idea: provide laid back leagues for everyday players that
are safe and fun. While USL never turns away real athletes or people
who take sports seriously, most of our members are not superstars
or blue chippers, but rather everyday Underdogs who want to play
a game or two, meet some people, and go talk about the game afterwards
at the local watering hole.
Before athletes became rappers and movie stars, and before A-Rod
and the number 252 became a part of the American vernacular, there
were a couple of cavemen who knocked a rock around in a field with
sticks for one reason: it was fun. Sports might be a way of life,
a religion, or a huge business enterprise, but at its core we at
USL believe that sports should be enjoyable – the “agony
of defeat” is for athletes with sponsorships, not everyday
players. If you are a person who plays sports with a laid back attitude,
and realizes that even if that cool looking ref totally misses a
call (rare) - life will still go on, then you sound like an Underdog
and we welcome you to give USL a try.
Signs that you are probably an Underdog:
You spend more time coming up with nicknames for your teammates
than coming up with plays to run.
Your pre-game preparation consists of remembering where you
left your glove and cleats.
You remember half the lines from Office Space and Caddy Shack
but often forget what your team record is.
Signs that you might not be an Underdog:
Whenever you move to a new apartment you always have at least
2 or 3 cardboard boxes marked “Sports Trophies 1997-99”
on the outside.
You often run late to games because negotiations between your
agent and a major sports apparel company in Oregon ran longer
than expected.
Your response to a teammate dropping a big pass is to make a
notation on your clipboard that they run extra sprints during
your next scheduled team practice – at 6:30 AM.
So you are starting to catch on, but just because we run a league
for Underdogs doesn't mean we run low quality leagues. Here are some
of the most common lame league characteristics that you may have come
across in the past with other leagues, butwon't need to worry about
with USL:
Lame League Move #1 – No
trained Staff – Forget about not having a well trained
staff on the field for your game, lots of leagues go further and
make you provide players on your team to hang around and ref or
ump once your game is over. No worries here – you will never
need to assign players to ref other games – we figure you
came to us to play, not to learn how to officiate.
Lame League Move #2 –
Cheap rates, lots of add-ons – Ever had to buy your
own softballs, bring your own flags, or buy some uniforms from a
league just so you could play in it? How about spending time calling
in your scores to an answering machine? Not going to happen - we
figure you should spend your time on the field, not buying equipment
or making phone calls. As part of USL membership, you get access
to all of our equipment, and its pretty darn good if we do say so,
ourselves. We’ll provide you cool uniform contacts if you
want to check them out, but never as a barrier to entry.
Lame League Move #3 – Captains Meetings and Maitre D’s
– The only meeting you’ll need to attend for playing
in our league is when you meet up with your team at the bar after
the game. There are no captains’ meetings or rules meetings,
only parties and events. In addition, you don’t have to be
a descendent of Ty Cobb to get into the league. USL leagues are
first come first serve every season. Even if you’ve never
played with us before you still have a shot to get into a league
– ‘this ain’t no country club.’
Lame League Move #4 – The ‘never ending [league] story’
– Ever bowled in a 33 week bowling league? Ever played in
a Softball league that seemed to last longer then the MLB season?
We know that you have other things to do and you want to go out
of town and have a life, even if you like sports. Most of our seasons
are fairly short (6 to 8 weeks) so you can play some games and not
have to block off your schedule for the next 6 months.
Lame League Move #5 – “Individuals need not apply”
– Just because you don’t know 12 other people doesn’t
mean you shouldn’t play in a league – USL welcomes all
players, and small groups of friends. It may be a bit more work
to find you a team, but that’s what we are here for. You might
even find that we have gotten pretty good at creating new teams
of individuals with similar skill levels and backgrounds.
More on USL: Underdog Sports Leagues is a small company with around 4 or 5 employees located on NE Broadway doing business at fields and courts around Portland. Launched in 2003, USL Portland is a separate division of Underdog Sports Leagues and uses umpires and refs from around Portland and Vancouver. USL has members that range from ages 22-52, but the average age of USL members is around 25-35. USL does not allow participants under the age of 21.
I just moved to here and I don't
know enough people to put together a team but I wanna play, what
should I do?
No problem. Sign up as an individual and
USL will place you on a team with other individual sign-ups in
your skill level. We compile the teams and then notify you about
who your other teammates are and when you'll be playing. Many
of our past individual teams stick together season after season,
so it's often a good way to meet some new friends.
I'm not the greatest athlete, but
I'd like to come out and play with you guys... will the leagues
be too competitive for me?
No worries. Our sports leagues are fairly
laid back and always have divisions for everyday Underdogs. If
you're still nervous about playing in a normal sport like basketball
or softball, check out some of our leisure leagues like bowling,
mini-golf, and kickball – big on fun and low on skill.
Your refs and umps are so witty and
handsome...can I ask them out on a date?
No.
You guys run a solid league. Any chance you can help me
run my company tournament or league, or help me put on or promote
a sports or leisure event?
Sure thing. USL often helps companies in
Seattle and Portland put on tournaments and leagues. Why spend
your time trying to learn out how to run a VB tournament when
we have been doing them for years? Why spend your energy and resources
starting a flag league for your corporation when we've already
got everything you need? Just give us a call and we'll discuss
the scope and size of your upcoming league or tournament. Also
visit our Corporate
Services pagefor past success stories.
So you guys do this for a living?
Yes.
For real?
Yes.
If you have additional questions, don't hesitate to
email us!