Sports in the Army

Most people think that as a Soldier you are in uniform 24/7. Even though you live the Army Values 24/7 not all your time will be spent as a Soldier in the Army. You actually have time off to relax and do whatever you like to do such as, go off post to eat, watch movies, hang out with your friends and play sports. The Army has intramural leagues on post for various sports such as volleyball, softball, soccer, boxing and flag football in which you can participate. These are some of the most common. If you are good enough you have the opportunity to compete and try out for the post team. Playing for the post team is actually a lot of fun if you love sports, since you will be playing more often, and if you like to travel. If you make the team you get to play against other Military Installations at a more competitive level. If you are good enough you may even make the All Army Team which is very competitive and a milestone in your Army career. 

While I was enlisted in the Army for my 4 year career, one of the things I enjoyed the most was being able to play volleyball, soccer and softball. Living in the barracks was awesome because you know most of the Soldiers and it makes it easier to gather people to play. Most of the time we played for fun; however, you find out some Soldiers in the Army are very skillful. Some of them are good enough to play at a competitive level. 

All-Army Staff Sgt. Lee Diaz of Fort Meade, Md., drives the ball into the outfield during the 2007 U.S. Armed Forces Men’s Softball Championships at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The tournament was a round-robin with a total of nine games played Sept. 12-14 at Foster Stadium. The All-Army team won the gold medal and the All-Marine Corps squad took the silver. Three-time defending champion All-Air Force finished third. U.S. Air Force photo.

From 2001 to 2005, I was stationed in Ft. Knox, KY. I had the opportunity to play Volleyball and Softball for my troop HHT 1/16 Calvary Regiment. Volleyball was a lot of fun and the league turned out to be great. My troop won most of our games; if I remember correctly we only lost 2 games before heading to the tournament. We made it to the finals, but sadly we lost the final to Charlie Troop.  My Commander even gave us half a day off for placing second in the Volleyball tournament. 

My softball team was opposite of volleyball. Unfortunately, we lost more than half of our games. Probably the only reason we did not lose all was because of Master Sergeant Crisp who before coming to our troop was on the All Army Softball. Every time he went to bat we knew it was either going to be a home run or a long 3 base hit; that is how hard he hit the ball - he was awesome! Sad but true, the Marines team was very competitive and they placed second in the tournament to the MP’s. Playing the Marines felt like a big rivalry, kind of like a big High School rivalry or a pro Football rivalry game such as the Cowboys vs Redskins. If you lost to the Marines, you would hear from other Army units, even though it was all in good fun because we understood we are all part of the same team.

Check out this cool Video for information on the Army Combatives Tournament! 

These are only a few Sports available to you through your Military career. The Army offers many other sports in which you can participate. If you think you have what it takes to be in the All Army Team you can talk to your unit about the possibility of becoming part of the team.  Comment with your favorite sport (or sports) and if you would like to play for the Army in the future.  Feel free to ask any questions about sports you are interested in. (lm)