Happy Silver Jubilee ISFL/NSFL! You've made it through 25 seasons now, a feat that feels pretty monumental. I think a lot of us take it for granted that these sim leagues are just up and running, but that is never a guarantee. Joining the Grass Roots Soccer League from close to the start, I saw the insane amount of work it takes just to get a league like this up and running. Once that is done, it still takes the dedication of a lot of people to keep things running smoothly. For over one year of my real life now, I have been a part of this league.
From day one, this league was something I was fascinated in. I loved the idea of doing different activities each week and slowly making my player improve over time. I remember watching my first sim and almost getting turned off though. The chat was going crazy for these stupid little dots and I was really unimpressed at first. I thought that the structure was cool, but I didn't really feel like I was watching much when my player was on the field. After a couple of days though, I started warming up to the idea of 22 little dots running through a 60 minute game in just about 5 minutes. I've come to really love those silly little dots, though sometimes I do wonder about what it would be like to see a more life like presentation. The other aspects of the league is where the magic really happens though.
The scouting process and draft is hands down the coolest aspect of what we do. Having all of the teams reach out and scout you was an awesome feeling. I feel like scouting has really made a shift to being much more impersonal with the stupid questionnaires these days, but those who reach out and do it the old fashioned way get big props from me. It just makes a more personal touch from the beginning and probably goes a longer way for that prospect.
Besides scouting, I think the other best aspect of this league is the locker room structure. Being in a place with all of your teammates really does feel like a locker room. You get to shoot the breeze, talk sports and of course talk about anything league related. This is also something that has changed quite a lot since I first joined, but luckily where I'm in we have a closed locker room. I know a lot of people prefer an open locker room, but I strongly disagree with that sentiment. I think the whole point of the team locker room is to keep it to just current and former players of that organization. If you want to socialize with the rest of the league, go to the dedicated server that literally 99% of the league is a part of from the start. I also don't understand the allure of being a part of 17 different locker rooms and trying to communicate in all of them. I can barely keep up with 2 these days.
Of everything I've mentioned, the single best part of this league has been the users I've meet. A large majority of the users I'm closest with stem from NOLA and Tijuana. When I was more active as a GM and Rookie Mentor, I did get to meet a ton of awesome people in that regard as well. For the sake of not leaving anyone out, I won't start naming names. I think anyone who I have become close with knows already. To those people, I just want to say thank you for everything you have done. The league is in a better place because of you being here. I also feel like I am a better person for getting to know so many of you this last year. Keeping being awesome! Here is to wishing another 25 seasons for the ISFL.
From day one, this league was something I was fascinated in. I loved the idea of doing different activities each week and slowly making my player improve over time. I remember watching my first sim and almost getting turned off though. The chat was going crazy for these stupid little dots and I was really unimpressed at first. I thought that the structure was cool, but I didn't really feel like I was watching much when my player was on the field. After a couple of days though, I started warming up to the idea of 22 little dots running through a 60 minute game in just about 5 minutes. I've come to really love those silly little dots, though sometimes I do wonder about what it would be like to see a more life like presentation. The other aspects of the league is where the magic really happens though.
The scouting process and draft is hands down the coolest aspect of what we do. Having all of the teams reach out and scout you was an awesome feeling. I feel like scouting has really made a shift to being much more impersonal with the stupid questionnaires these days, but those who reach out and do it the old fashioned way get big props from me. It just makes a more personal touch from the beginning and probably goes a longer way for that prospect.
Besides scouting, I think the other best aspect of this league is the locker room structure. Being in a place with all of your teammates really does feel like a locker room. You get to shoot the breeze, talk sports and of course talk about anything league related. This is also something that has changed quite a lot since I first joined, but luckily where I'm in we have a closed locker room. I know a lot of people prefer an open locker room, but I strongly disagree with that sentiment. I think the whole point of the team locker room is to keep it to just current and former players of that organization. If you want to socialize with the rest of the league, go to the dedicated server that literally 99% of the league is a part of from the start. I also don't understand the allure of being a part of 17 different locker rooms and trying to communicate in all of them. I can barely keep up with 2 these days.
Of everything I've mentioned, the single best part of this league has been the users I've meet. A large majority of the users I'm closest with stem from NOLA and Tijuana. When I was more active as a GM and Rookie Mentor, I did get to meet a ton of awesome people in that regard as well. For the sake of not leaving anyone out, I won't start naming names. I think anyone who I have become close with knows already. To those people, I just want to say thank you for everything you have done. The league is in a better place because of you being here. I also feel like I am a better person for getting to know so many of you this last year. Keeping being awesome! Here is to wishing another 25 seasons for the ISFL.
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