By Matt Levine

It may not be high-level athletics, but it’s competition all the same.

Natosha Harris, the Johnson Center’s Intramural Director, said a great deal of the UK community feeds its competitiveness with intramural football.

“We had about 265 teams sign up this year,” Harris said.

Harris, who is in her first year as intramural director, said she has heard that intramural football is the most popular sport UK’s intramural program offers.

“I have been told that this is one of the growing sports over the last couple of years,” Harris said.

Harris said intramural football has become so popular because the way that UK has set up the leagues has improved the competitive balance.

“The way we have it broken down here on campus are our A leagues are a bit more competitive and our B leagues can be at times, still competitive, but a little more recreational,” Harris said. “There are a lot of opportunities for a lot of people to participate.”

Harris said this is effective because it allows teams to compete against other teams with similar talent levels.

“People are not going to go into a game knowing they will get blown out because they know the levels to where their team can play,” Harris said. “Knowing that information and us providing the options for students have made it a lot easier for those students to adapt to the sport and actually find it more fun to play.”

Tyler Kmiec, a junior and member of Phi Kappa Tau, is the captain of his fraternity’s football team and said intramural football is a necessary change from homework and studying.

“It is a real fun thing to do during the week,” Kmiec said.

Kmiec said that along with intramural football, he enjoys participating in intramural dodgeball and tug-of-war.

Kmiec said he has a lot of confidence in his squad going into the season.

“We have a lot of talented freshman,” Kmiec said, “and I think we definitely have a good shot in our league.”

He said he and his team have their eyes set on a championship, but can settle on a respectable playoff run.

“Hopefully all the way, but we will try and win one or two games out there,” Kmiec said. “If we get a playoff win I will be happy.”

He said it is excited for the season to begin and to see what kind of turnout his team gets.

“We start on Tuesday and the atmosphere out there should be real good,” Kmiec said.