Football. Friendship. Fun. The three F’s seem to be at the heart of the first round of intramural sports for the 2025-26 school year. 

On Wednesday, September 17, Bates students from all corners of campus took to Garcelon field to kickoff the first games of intramural flag football. 

Intramural sports are a much beloved Bates tradition, where students form their own teams to compete against each other in sports like flag football, basketball, dodgeball, soccer and kickball. 

Meant to “heighten the academic experience at Bates,” according to the Bates Athletics website, intramural sports tend to garner much enthusiasm and spirit from its participants. 

Throughout the season, the 13 registered teams will compete against each other to make it to the playoffs later in October. 

On Sunday, September 21, The Money Team was on the field with new and old players.

For Maia Seigerman ‘26, this year is her first as part of The Money Team, though she’s played other intramural sports during her time at Bates. 

“I’m lucky to be on it,” she said. She added that the opportunity to play flag football is unique with intramural sports, as she was motivated to join by her friends.

When asked about what she was looking forward to during the season, she said, “Lots of fun and lots of winning for sure.”

Zach Rosenthal ‘26, creator of The Money Team, has similar goals for his team. “Get a team t-shirt,” he said. “That’s what it’s always been about.”

Rosenthal created the team as a first year originally as an intramural basketball team, eventually branching out into the other intramural sports. While his team made it to the semifinals and finals in various sports, he said that they’ve never won a championship. He plans to change that this year.

“Having more seniors, having more chemistry helps. I’ve noticed that we’ve been eliminated by people that just knew people better,” he said. This year, “Everybody kind of knows each other.” Rosenthal has high hopes for team chemistry to carry them through to the flag football finals.

Also on the field was team Ball$, Ball$, Ball$. 

Zain Ali ‘27, a founding member of the team expressed his enthusiasm for another season of intramural sports. 

“We have one squad that plays every intramural sport together and we’ve just been enjoying our time, getting to know one another and hanging out. It’s lit,” he said. 

Ali said that he hopes to win one of the championships this year and believes that through the “power of friendship,” he and his team can make that a reality. 

Megan Billings ‘26, Ali’s teammate, is new to intramural sports this year. In joining the team, she said that she received an ultimatum from her friends. “If I didn’t play, they wouldn’t have enough people,” she said.

Though Billings said that she prefers to do art with Bates Arts Society, she appreciates the option of intramural sports for those that enjoy physical activity. 

The games will be held each week on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday evenings from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., with two games occurring simultaneously.