Intramurals used to be run by Associated Students of the University of Nevada, but responsibilities have recently been handed over to Lombardi Recreation Center. This change in management has brought about many alterations and cuts to the program. Both leagues and sports have been affected. The goal of the cuts was to allow more participation, focus on the different levels of play within each sport and help with the competitive balance. But some people believe these changes did not improve intramurals at all. Although the intentions behind the changes were to advance the program, intramurals may have just taken a step backwards. Multiple intra- mural leagues were removed, including the residence hall and the Interfraternity Council league.

“It would be great to play in a bracket of just resident halls,” said Robert Maktenieks, cocaptain for the Nye Narwhals intramural flag football team and Nye Hall resident assistant. “We’d all know each other and it would be even more fun. All the halls are connected and have their little biffs.”

Another unexpected cut to the intramural program this year was dodgeball, which has been a popular intramural sport in the past and many people were frustrated to see it be eliminated. Fraternities were so disappointed in the cuts that IFC actually booked a gym away from campus where they will play in their own dodgeball and volleyball tournaments. The banishment of the IFC league possibly stings the most. Athletic coordinator of IFC and member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Connor Blakeman explained that fraternities were some of intramurals’ biggest customers.

Each intramural football league has a limit on teams. Sports in the league are given on first-come first-serve basis. Since the IFC league has been slashed, many fraternity teams are signing up for other leagues and taking spots away from non-Greek teams. Instead of allowing more participation — as was intended — participation is now being drastically limited.

“A lot of presidents and sports chairs have been upset,” Blakeman said.

In addition to being limited, the leagues with fraternities are now far less competitive. Having a fraternity league allowed for the fraternity teams to play against friends, establish rivalries and engage in fun aspects

of sports such as trash-talking. Now that the fraternity teams are playing against unfamiliar opponents, the drive to win is not as significant.

Moreover, each year one fraternity is awarded the IFC Sports Trophy, and without all the fraternities playing against one another, the winner of this trophy is much harder to select. A game against a non-Greek team is more of a scrimmage for the fraternity teams. These games do not count towards the standings that determine the winner of the IFC Sports Trophy.

“I see a lot of decline in intramurals instead of growth and success,” Blakeman said.

Lombardi member services coordinator Sheena Harvey was unavailable for comment.