Every week, thousands who would rather play sports than watch get their recreational fix through volleyball, soccer and other coed adult leagues offered by Cities Sports Connection (CSC).
The goal, CSC's owners and brothers Pat and Matt Barbatsis say, is to promote "healthy, active, balanced lifestyles" for participants, as many as 7,500 a week, depending on the season.
For the brothers, though, organizing the dozens of leagues, hundreds of teams, game officials and playing space has become a major-league workout.
"It can be mentally challenging," Pat says of the logistical undertaking. "It takes a tremendous amount of time coordinating schedules between all of our facility partners. We're required to permit fields, source, manage and pay officials, and do all of the schedule coordination, among other daily activities."
Growing up, the brothers took part in whatever sport was in season and played intramural sports through college.
Pat learned about CSC's predecessor when he was a grad student at the University of Minnesota, studying sports management and sports psychology. The idea of organizing intramural adult leagues and doing so as an entrepreneurial venture intrigued both him and his brother.
They acquired the four-year-old company in 1996 — Pat quitting his job to work full time at CSC, his brother helping out at night after his day job. By 2000, it had grown into a small but self-sustaining business: "We were excited when we went from ramen noodles to mac 'n' cheese," Pat says.
Participants must be 18 or older. The majority are 24 to 32, just a few years out of college, but many are in their 40s and 50s, as leagues are organized by skill level, not age.
