S3 Leagues

I’ve been playing in various S3 leagues for the past six years and S3 is by far my favorite social sports organizer. They take all the work out of organizing teams, finding sponsorships, and creating a social environment unlike a lot of other organizations. I’ve met some really great people playing in S3 and would highly recommend S3 to friends/​family.

If you’re looking for new friends or just want to get out of the house, then join S3! I’ve met a lot of good friends through S3. The atmosphere is super friendly and inviting for people of all skill levels.

s3 league is the perfect mix of good people and fun times. I met my girlfriend through the league and and still go with her. We love that after there is an affiliated bar that we can all go to to have fun and unwind. Definitely try it out if your looking for that thing to do at night other than just going out drinking. The guy who runs it is one of the least douchey people I have ever met, although he doesn’t run every S3 his hands are all over it so you know it’s legitimately done and a blast every time.

I love S3 leagues! I joined a bowling league 6 months ago when I was new to the city and met some incredible people. Plus, bowling was really fun! After that, I joined a softball team with people I met from bowling and met a whole other group of great people. I’m currently in kickball and volleyball (both are really fun) and now I’m joining football as a full team, all with on-​going social connections that came from bowling.
S3 is a good social network of people… if you come looking to meet people and have a friendly attitude, you will have a good time. Even if you are shy (which I am), because it is a social league, most people will help draw you out (the beers don’t hurt either). I pretty much owe my whole social life to S3 and the people I was able to meet through the leagues! It’s also fun to try new sports… I’d never played softball before and grew to love it.
I recommend S3 to people all the time, it’s definitely been worth it for me!

i joined a beach volleyball team and I was pretty nervous because I have not played in so long. The organizers were very accommodating and helpful adding a friend that wanted to join my team at the last minute. They give plenty of subs so you meet a lot of new people and there isn’t a problem with forfeiting games. I also appreciate that they give team shirts in bright colors so that everyone is easy to find.
Will be playing again! great league.

These guys are great! I’ve joined multiple leagues and events with them ALL have been fantastic! Social leagues are all about having a good time and making friends a break from the norm, you get what you put in so join with a good attitude and you’ll have a great time!

What a great experience! I’ve participated in players sports and chicago sport and social leagues, but s3 was by far the best. Great excuse to be active and meet new people at the same time. I’m planning on getting my company to sponsor our next league for employees to socialize outside the office too!

I joined S3’s softball league even though I am pretty terrible at softball! The league was run pretty well with good communication. They also have other leagues like volleyball and bowling.
You have to come in w/​a good attitude and be willing to meet new people and make friends. This is not just a league to find a Significant Other… although it does happen. It’s a great outlet to make new friends and enjoy playing rec sports and have a few beers. There’s always a sponsored bar to meet up w/​your team post game.
The teams are mostly comprised of people in their mid 20−30s. They also have fun weekend trips in the summer! It’s a fun experience!

I decided to review this after playing in several leagues and saw the other responses on here. First of all folks, a lot of how the league goes and how many friends you make is on you. BUT I PAID MONEY I EXPECT INSTANT FRIENDS! Really people? Put time and effort into this, and you get out what you put in it. People do decide not even to show the first time– those are the people who you don’t want to meet anyway. Those are the people who pay for a gym membership to feel good, but don’t actually go.
Having said that, if you sign up you will meet people, some cool, some awesome, some meh, it’s up to you to make the best of it, have fun, and show up.
I’ve played in Skeeball, Kickball, Trivia, and Bowling. They were all well executed, and when a problem came up, it was generally dealt with pretty well.
S3 Leagues helped me find a lot of friends after moving from Michigan a few years ago. If you’re new to the area, I would definitely sign up. You will have the chance to make friends, but doing the work is up to you.
About competition– yeah its a social league where people come first, and competition is a close second.
Skeeball is definitely a favorite, almost always was late for work Friday mornings because we stayed out so late Thursdays.
Absolutely worth every penny. And to complete the experience, go to their events! They are awesome.

Don’t waste your money. There are several other leagues that are run better and allow you to actually play sports, as opposed to having drunk bros hit on you and then start yelling when you aren’t impressed that their dad owns a dealership/they’re a TKE/​whatever. (Someone on my team actually started yelling at a poor chick who had the misfortune of not finding him instantly attractive)
I had the misfortune of playing in a Sunday summer softball league through S3. Due to weather, scheduling issues and numerous forfeits our summer league ended up running almost two months into football season. The original sponsor bar was also a bar for a certain crappy AFC North team that was always scheduled for early games on Sundays. Out team was initially told that we should send a teammate or two up to the bar at 11a to hold a table until after our softball game ended. S3 ended up swapping sponsor bars after this holding of tables was deemed quite the unpopular option.
We also had a constant issue with females showing up to play. As in none of the females on our team would routinely show up. Usually when this happens the team is able to rally and pull in subs, but due to the horrific attitudes of the bros on our team and in the league, the subs we were able to wrangle would never show up again. One of my teammates mentioned this to S3 and the answer was… radio silence. I have the season-​long email chain saved in my inbox and we actually had one game where 14 out of 19 people weren’t showing up! This 14 included 2 people that had never shown up to a single game.

S3 is a great league with awesome people. I joined with one friend and have ended up playing in three seasons so far. I’ve made many new friends and plan on signing up for another season this winter! Ben is great too and very accommodating!

S3 was the biggest help when I was new to Chicago and looking for friends. Sports is my favorite way to meet people, especially when the entire league all goes to the same bar and you mingle/​play flip cup with everyone!
Every team I’ve played on (softball and skeeball) has bonded enough playing, that we planned team events (bbqs/​karaōke nights/​local concerts, etc) outside of the league.
My best success story with S3 is, I’ve met my best friend for life through a mutual friend I knew from an S3 softball league, and another is, my roommate came with me to an event and met her current long-​time boyfriend. I will take full credit (and give some to S3) when/​if they get married!
It works! You may or may not find a man, but you will find some solid friends along the way.
Plus, the regular social events that are planned for all leagues (Halloween trolley crawl/​river tubing trip in Indiana/​Nutz and Boltz singles event at Mad River, etc) are always fun! The fact that every person there has played some kind of S3 league is an easy ice breaker for talking to new people, and you also start to see old friends that you’ve met in the past but have lost touch with. Plus, you can’t beat prices for drinks!
I highly recommend joining, even if you aren’t athletic. It’s more about drinking and laughing than it is playing, and the price is great considering you get a couple beers every week included in that price, just for showing up that week.
There are cute guys, funny guys, tall guys, athletic guys — whatever your type is — there is definitely eye candy! And I’m assuming the same is true for men looking for ladies.

I played in the S3 Thursday night Skeeball league a few times, and boy, was it fun! Not only was each team a blast to play with, but most people on other teams where very social as well. I’d still be in the league now, if my schedule allowed for it. Besides, isn’t it great to have an excuse to play skeeball (and not be a kid at an arcade)? :)
Bonus point: After the games, a dueling piano act plays. If you can manage staying out a little late on Thursday, it’s the icing on the cake.

I’ve done three S3 leagues (skeeball once and kickball twice) and they are really fun. It’s a terrific way to meet new people, especially if you’re new to town. I had no problem signing up on my own, but lots of people join with a friend or two. I was nervous at first since I hadn’t played any sport since high school, and back then only in gym class, but these leagues are really about the socializing so I didn’t feel intimidated. After the game, everyone goes to the sponsor bar which is a great opportunity to get to know people from your team and others. It’s cool because you know everyone there wants to meet people, so everyone is pretty receptive to chatting. It’s good for flirting, but I’ve also made some lasting friendships through S3.

I joined the Skeeball league last year and had a wonderful time! Being able to drink beer, play skeeball and talk with everyone is great. I will say it gets a little crowded at the location but it’s all part of the fun. If you want to meet new people while doing something as a team, go for it!

I joined S3 beach volleyball league based on my roommate’s recommendation and a timely Livingsocial groupon. Overall it was an ok experience — the setup is based for you to play a little (like 1 hr) of beach volleyball then go out to a bar and drink to socialize.
The experience is very team dependent. My roommate has joined previously and loved it. For the team I joined my teammates was ok but I did not connect with them. The enthusiasm for the sport itself is rather underwhelming (full disclaimed: I am not experienced volleyball player and I am not pretending I am a pro, but I do like to give a full go during the game). Furthermore, the social interaction mostly takes places in a bar. The season I signed up it was at Beer and it was too loud to have any good conversation. Most times you sit with your teams afterwards (as you gets points for how much teams ordered) so while you can meet other teams, most people stick with their teams. In otherwords, it feels like you are paying to drink with your teammates.
Obviously I did not sign up for another season. I heard with teammates you click with it’s a great experience, but I guess I could do that by going to a pickup game (which I am doing now) and having way more fun, and with people who actually care about the sports. I guess it’s all luck dependent.

S3 has been an absolute blast! I just joined my 9^th league for various sports/​activities and plan on joining more in the future. Ben (the founder) has created a really fun community of young and young at heart singles in Chicago. In some leagues you show up and play your activity for an hour or two and part ways till the next game, but Ben has created a true S3 «family» for people in Chicago. While the teams are always out to win, the emphasis is certainly on the «social» end of things. Games might last an hour, but socializing usually lasts much longer. Plus, once you’re in with S3 Chicago recreational sports leagues, you have the inside scoop on lots of other fun events they plan like tubing trips to Indiana or ski trips to Wisconsin.
Without S3, I wouldn’t have met my group of friends in Chicago and would highly recommend them for anyone looking to get out and meet some new people, play some sports, or just have fun!

S3 is a lot like any social meet up type group, it is what you make of it. I am currently in the summer kickball league and have enjoyed myself so far. The teams have 20 people on them, 10 male and 10 female. The cool part is, our guys show up and we want to to win a little more than we want to party. The bad part is, (No fault of S3) we are lucky if 5 girls show up to our games. (Not fun for us dudes) Since it is a single’s league, this is a little disappointing, but we have fun anyhow. Your registration includes a t-​shirt and 2 free pitchers of beer for the team at the bar sponsoring you after every game. Hanging out with the other teams is pretty fun too. I heard the volleyball league gets a better female turnout, so if you are a man looking for a woman, that may be your best bet.

If you are looking for a great mix of sports and social… consistently getting outside to play casual sports while meeting new people and enjoying the social element, this league used to be it… sadly no more. The softball and kickball leagues started out ~40/​60 sports/​social, and now it is more like ¹⁰⁄₉₀ with the sports being an administrative afterthought.
As the softball and kickball leagues expanded, the coordinator clearly was in over his head… at least administratively. Multiple forfeits in a single season (including back-​to-​back), multiple games called halfway thru for darkness (yes — foreseeable and predictable darkness), forfeits from poor communication due to last minute schedule changes, and even field location changes… all of these things actually happened in S3 leagues. Early seasons went smoothly, but the later seasons not so much. The players are also more inconsistent with attendance in these leagues, so when all 20 show up you will bat only once, and when 4 show up it’s a forfeit and go to the bar.
If you don’t care about the sports side at all and just want to pay to meet new people and have your beer drinking coordinated to make new friends, these leagues do offer a great social element and do still have their place… even as they have deteriorated. If however you want a nice mix of sports and social, my personal experience is that there are multiple better options in the city.
(Note: This review is based on participation ~a half dozen leagues with S3, and another half dozen plus with competing leagues in the city)