Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Rediscovering Sports as a Young Adult in Manhattan

I am in my mid-20s, work a 9-5 job, and am bored with life. I went from playing varsity soccer in college and drinking with friends, and now I find myself coming home from work, with nothing to look forward to, and having a beer as I watch whatever ESPN has to show me that night. This is a reality for most mid-20 aged men in NYC. 

About a year ago, I stumbled upon a beautiful turf field on 90th and York, by the name of Asphalt Green. Each night I would walk by, I saw 40-50 men and women competing in adult soccer leagues. I tried to step in and join, but I was told games were organized through GothamSports and ZogSports. 

I signed up immediately and was placed on a free agent team. With ZogSports, you can sign up as a team and play with your friends or join individually and get placed with others who signed up as individuals. In short, I was playing with a team of random men and women. It took us a couple games to build chemistry and rapport, but soon enough, we were in full swing. After losing in shootouts to end our first two seasons, we won 3 straight championships and went from a team that started as free agents to a tight knit team of players, each knowing their role and laughing throughout. 

While playing weekly and winning leagues is enjoyable, our team created a tradition of going to a local bar at the conclusion of each game. We have group chats, celebrate birthdays together, and even watched world cup games at each other’s apartments. 

I would like to take a moment to thank ZogSports and promote adult soccer in Manhattan for not only allowing me to get great exercise and play a game that I love, but also create a social group that I look forward to seeing week to week. 

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