Sports is not just about the big games on TV with big brands and big names. For some people, sports are just as much about social exercise as it is physical.

Elizabethton Parks and Rec is currently accepting registration for a women’s basketball league that will play throughout the year.

Recreation Manager David Nanney said the league has been on and off throughout the years because of the fluctuations in the number of teams.

“Sometimes we have five or six teams, and some years we have had 10 or even 12,” Nanney said.

Once the teams finish registration at the end of the month, Nanney will organize a schedule based on how many people are playing. While Nanney said he has not yet decided which days will be game days, he said any scheduled day will have around four games, each one about an hour long, starting at 6:30 p.m.

The league is part of the department’s overall efforts to provide opportunities to improve people’s health by interacting with friends. The department also hosts volleyball and flag football teams.

“Everyone needs some kind of release at the end of the day, some form of exercise,” he said. “With this, it is good for your health and it is about having fun with friends.”

He said the league he is hosting is one of the only women’s leagues in the area, providing an activity not commonly available for women in the Elizabethton area.

“It is one more thing people can plug themselves into,” he said.

Basketball is a physical sport, involving a lot of running up and down the court, so while the league is open to any and all teams who want to participate, Nanney said those looking to sign up should be aware of the physical fitness necessary for the sport.

That being said, he said the department is open for open gym all the time, letting people play pick-up games or otherwise shoot baskets and hone their skills.

“Some teams can be more competitive than others,” Nanney said. “Others are just there to have fun.”

Teams need to form up on their own before registering, as individuals looking to be picked up by a team may or may not find success.

He said this style of registration lets those who are not as competitive to play with similar-minded people.

Those looking to register a team in the league have until Tuesday, Jan. 29, to do so. On that day, at 6 p.m., the team coaches will meet at the center to discuss the league rules and discuss the specific schedule at that time. Nanney said the league needs at least five, preferably six teams in order to run.

The registration fee is $420, and the season will begin on February 5.