20 Lessons from corporate games

Ten years ago, I first found out about corporate games. I was ecstatic. I could play sports for free! And look how many options they have! This is totally worth using all of these exclamations!

Seriously. I was excited about it. I signed up for all of the attractive options: soccer, basketball, dodgeball, ultimate frisbee, skeet shooting. When signing up, they also requested a t-shirt size. You mean I get a free t-shirt, too? How could this be anything be superb? I didn’t actually sign up for skeet shooting. Do they have that?

Over ten years (minus a few maternity/pregnancy breaks), these are the things that I learned about corporate games:

1. Adults cheat
2. I still have to work on my temper
3. While Rebecca was in charge, they bought us really nice t-shirts
4. It was a great way to meet others from the company
5. It was not a great way to meet others from other companies
6. It was a great way to make enemies from other companies
7. Watch out for men playing coed soccer for other companies that have no qualms deliberately injuring women
8. I don’t carry grudges
9. Okay, maybe I do about men that deliberately injure women
10. Ultimate Frisbee was amazing playing with this guy that could throw so well
11. Men from other companies were always surprised when they played against athletic women
12. The trophy for coed soccer was elusive
13. One year, the women were asked to cut the men for the coed soccer team because so many signed up; that was awful
14. There’s one particular person at the company that I would rather not play sports with
15. That one particular person likes to sign up for the same sports as me
16. When I first met Nathan, I had sports every night because it was corporate games season (he still dated me, in spite of the “crazy sports girl” aura)
17. Every year, I wished I was more athletic, in better shape, and had less of a temper
18. I became a nicer participant over the years
19. I retired from coed soccer after holding a grudge because of a man that deliberately hurts women
20. I’ll miss the free t-shirts