From basketball to badminton: ASU intramural sports promote well-being on campus

Physical wellness is as important as mental well-being, which can be difficult to maintain with bustling class schedules and extracurricular activities. That is where intramural sports come into play, offering students at Arizona State University a fun way to balance their health and support physical activity on campus. 

Intramural sports encourage connections between students and healthy breaks from studying, available at different points throughout the year with various indoor and outdoor options. Champions win a coveted intramural championship t-shirt and are featured on the walls at the Sun Devil Fitness Complex (SDFC). 

During the spring semester, there are a variety of activities for students to participate in, including: 3-on-3 basketball, 4-on-4 flag football, 4-on-4 sand volleyball, 5-on-5 indoor soccer, 7-on-7 soccer, pickleball, softball, badminton and more. 

Each of the four Arizona State University campuses offers its own programming. However, activities are not restricted to Sun Devils based on their campus.  Students can participate in any intramural sport, regardless of which campus it is located on. 

Tommy Padden, a third-year student studying media arts and sciences at the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts and photographer for ASU Student Life, participated in both the Downtown and Tempe campuses’ 3-on-3 basketball leagues this spring. In his experience, intramural sports on campus are a fun outlet for stress. 

“It’s a great way to meet people and step outside your comfort zone, doing something you might not normally do,” Padden said. “There’s no judgment. You just have to show up and have fun.” 

Tanner Perry, the sports program coordinator at the Tempe SDFC, commented on the general structure of intramural sports at ASU. 

“Intramural sports are recreational leagues that give students the opportunity to participate in something competitive, in a team-based environment, that promotes physical well-being,” Perry said, “A lot of our players are people that were once high school athletes, but a lot are also students who just showed up thinking the sport looked like fun.”

On the Tempe campus, leagues are generally three-week-long regular seasons. According to Perry, players of any skill level are encouraged to join in.

“We try to have different skill-level-based leagues and give everybody the chance to participate,” Perry said. “We want to host an inclusive league where everyone feels welcome.” 

Outside of traditional sports, the SDFC also hosts tournaments for sports such as cornhole, spikeball and cricket. 

At the center of intramural sports is a dedication to physical well-being, something that students often fail to prioritize when transitioning to life on their own. 

“In high school, you are playing sports, practicing every night or working out all the time,” Perry said. “Maybe your parents were reminding you while you lived at home. When you get to college, there aren’t all those rules, and it’s on you to find that outlet for physical activity.” 

For those who may struggle with consistently staying active, intramural sports are an easy way to begin implementing physical activity into your sometimes hectic schedule. Padden also voiced the importance of physical activity as a busy college student. 

“Physical wellness is really important for college students because we have so much on our minds,” Padden said. “It’s sometimes good to do something mindless and take care of that physical side, because it is just as important as your mental well-being.” 

The association between physical wellness and mental wellness is closer than many assume. According to the Mental Health Foundation, exercise releases endorphins into the brain, and “even a short burst of 10 minutes of brisk walking can improve your mental alertness, energy and mood.” 

“Physical activity sometimes gets overlooked when we talk about mental health on campus,” Padden said. “I would encourage anybody, whether you are good at the sport or not, to just show up and enjoy yourself. At the end of the day, you are there to have fun and stay healthy, and that’s all that matters.” 

The application process for intramural sports is easy and accessible for Sun Devils. Whenever application windows open, students should navigate to fitnessonline.asu.edu, which will take them to a page with many different sports to register for. From there, students will make an account. Applications can be started by team captains, who can invite other people to join their team, or students can enter the system as ‘free agents.’ 

Students must have an intramural membership to officially join and participate in their selected sport. 

“A lot of students on campus have memberships already, either through their colleges or residence halls,” Perry explained. “If they don’t have a membership already paid for by their college, they can either purchase one online or in-person at the SDFC, costing $25 for the entire year or $15 for a semester-long membership.”

To learn more, visit SDFC Intramural Sports.