Play On

Chris McComas mishits his second shot on the No. 2 hole at Esplanade at Azario Lakewood Ranch’s golf course.

“Ah, come on,” McComas says. It’s July 17, and he’s talking through the neck gaiter he’s using as a mask. “The pressure got to me. I was having my picture taken.”

His excuse does not go over well with the rest of his foursome, who simply laugh and tell him to do better. He does: McComas finishes the hole in five strokes. Then it’s off to the next. For McComas, co-founder of MVP Sports and Social, a recreational sports league that serves Lakewood Ranch and its surrounding area, this is the beauty of being outside. There’s nothing like getting checked by your friends in person.

"Our biggest goal with the reopening was putting measures in place to keep people healthy while still playing."

— Chris McComas, MVP Sports and Social co-founder

MVP is back hosting outside leagues after taking a three-month break. McComas says the decision to transition back from MVP’s “Quarantine Cup” — a series of online trivia contests and other games the league played in the early days of the pandemic — to outdoor leagues was not simple to make.

“We knew it would happen eventually,” McComas says. “We knew that Florida was going to open back up and that there was going to be demand from people to get back playing outside, even though COVID-19 is not gone. For us, it was about balancing those two sides. Our biggest goal with the reopening was putting measures in place to keep people healthy while still playing.”

McComas says MVP knew it couldn’t go completely back to normal. The organization’s biggest leagues in terms of players, kickball and softball, were a no-go. There were too many people on the field at once, McComas says, and no practical way of keeping them safely distanced. MVP ultimately decided to open registration for four leagues: a cornhole league hosted at the Sarasota Polo Club, a disc golf league hosted at Bob Gardner Park, a four-versus-four sand volleyball league at Caddy’s Bradenton/Tom Bennett Park and a golf league played at Esplanade at Azario Lakewood Ranch. The golf league was the first of its kind attempted by MVP Sports. McComas says it came together in five days thanks to the cooperation of Lakewood Ranch Communities and the Esplanade at Azario Lakewood Ranch golf crew, who helped them find the resources and the location to host such a league.

In fact, McComas says the other three leagues also came together in less than a week. That flexibility to adjust to customers’ wants and needs is something that makes him proud, he says.

MVP’s customers give the love right back. Check the comments on any post from MVP’s Facebook page — the organization’s main distributor for league news and notes — and you will see a community rallying together. During that July 17 golf match, Kevin Mueller sank a hole-in-one on the No. 8 hole. The league posted as much, with a photo of Mueller posing next to the hole. Within a day, seven people had posted their congratulations, McComas among them. Another post, featuring a photo of the four-versus-four volleyball league, was captioned, “Volleyball and friendships, the winning combo!” It received 33 reactions. McComas says this camaraderie and MVP’s focus on the social aspect as much as the sports aspect is what makes the league special.

MVP has also had an impact on the mental health of its participants, something McComas takes seriously. It was an impetus for the league starting the Quarantine Cup and something McComas did not want to abandon as it transitioned outside again. McComas says the organization never set out to be a mental health salve, but after listening to countless customers tell them how much the leagues help them feel connected, it became a focus of the company.

“Companionship and friendship can be great for your mental health,” McComas says. “We know that not feeling welcomed or wanted can be a slippery slope of depression. Being around people will make you happier, even if you don’t realize it. Getting involved with a community is one of the greatest things you can do for yourself.”

All four leagues were full within 24 hours of registration being posted. Despite their popularity, McComas says there are no plans to add more leagues for the foreseeable future. The ones currently running are the ones he feels they can run safely, he says. McComas says people are welcome to reach out with ideas, though. He loves hearing feedback and says he can work with people to find the right league for them or perhaps create one if the right league doesn’t yet exist.

Right now, though, he’s happy with what he has.

“I think these leagues have surpassed all our expectations,” McComas says. “People are excited to get back to normal. You know, the Quarantine Cup did a great job of connecting people when that was the only option, but it is nice to get to see people in person again, even from a distance.”