S3 Boston is Now SIMPLY Social Sports
Many of you know the story of how S3 began, but for those who don’t, let me give you the cliff notes:
S3 Boston began in the summer of 2012 as an idea. I vividly remember walking around the Fens with my ex-boyfriend reminiscing about the amazing days of summer softball in NYC. I had just moved to Boston to live with him, who I met playing singles softball in S3 NYC. Collectively we knew a 5 people in Boston – all who he worked with. We both left a city that was not only home, but was filled with friends, and felt a bit lost in this new city. How do adults meet people, after all? We wanted to join some of the other sports leagues out there but after trying we felt they were just too competitive, not enough fun, and longed for the post game beer pong and drinks we shared with people in NY.
It was on that walk when a lightbulb went off: we should start a social league here.
Field permits were due that November and the waiting period began. For the majority of the next year it felt like S3 would never get started. We got a bunch of permit denial notices and hosted Meetup events with no attendants. We were striking out and often wondered if it was just a pipe dream. But that all changed in February when I got the call from DCR letting me know we were permitted to use Teddy Ebersol on Saturday afternoons in the summer of 2013. S3 was starting.
Our first league kicked off in June of 2013 with 180 people and 8 teams for singles softball. After each game we headed to The North Star for post game drinks, food, and bear pong (yes, BEAR) – which kept us at The North Star for hours, and hours, and hours. People met lifelong friends and three couples who found eachother that first season ended up sealing the deal and getting married. It was awesome.
Fast-forward to 2017 and here we are about to kick off our 5th season of summer softball. In the past 4 years, we’ve added a ton of new sports including volleyball, kickball, cornhole and much more. We’ve had 5 marriages (6 this December!) 2 babies (3 this September!), and more couples than we can count. It’s truly been amazing to watch everyone come together. Actually, nothing brings me more joy than to see people form friendships and relationships as a result of meeting in the league.
But to be honest, we’ve grown out of the singles aspect. As the years went on we’ve added more social leagues in the mix and have realized that people were joining S3 because they heard it was fun and social and wanted to make new friends. In fact, we get tons of emails each week from people asking if they can join in even if they aren’t single. After months of agonizing about it, we realize we can still offer a unique social experience that is focused on playing sports as a way to meet some new friends without the branding of singles.
So what can you expect from S3 moving forward? A lot of the same. We will always be a recreational league that actually promotes laughs over competition. We’ll keep those league-wide events coming so you have ample opportunity to get out and have fun with your new best friends. In addition to more social leagues, we’re going to start running some singles only leagues to deliver a better experience for those looking for love. We’ll always be the league that plays hard and parties harder. Beginners will always be welcome and encouraged to sign up. In fact, our favorite thing to see is an experienced player helping out a newcomer. In a city filled with students, expats and fitness junkies, it only makes sense to give everyone a chance to find a new favorite sport.
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We’ve prided ourselves on being the friendliest league in Boston for the past few years and will always be committed to ensuring you have the best time possible when participating in our leagues.
Thank you for being a part of S3 Boston. We say it all the time, but it’s true. You are the best part of the league. Thank you for continuously coming out and having fun.
Cheers,
Jess