Kickball, Bratz, and McDonald's

Brand loyalty is something that most companies rely on. It's why they start running commercial on Nickelodeon to get kids hooked on McDonald's and Bratz dolls before they can even talk. It works for every age group and across all measures of people. And kickball is no exception.

Many of the blogs, message boards, and websites dedicated to kickball feature a few people who post all the time. The people who are the Ultra Brand loyalists as I call these guys. And every league has them. The funny thing is, one day they can be for League A and the next for League B depending on seemingly small issues. But while they are with you, they are loyal.

There's one guy who loves WAKA and he must stalk every kickball related site looking for someone to say nary a word against his favorite league - then he pounces! Usually, this guy makes a numbers argument that rarely adds up to prove his point. Then he is followed by another who loves himself so much that when he responds to a question posed by a writer, never answers it and just makes lame analogies. In the end he usually calls it quits on a topic by saying that you "don't understand" whatever he wrote. Ah yes, the old Archie Bunker defense, so useful.

The DC Kickballers who love their league usually are much more to the point in their posts. "Carter4life" was one of the one's I recall reading. Usually they are just short bursts, indicating their allegiance and that DC Kickball rocks.

NAKID people usually have a pack mentality. The scout will find a negative reference and probably IM everyone on her/his list and they all flock over. They post pro-NAKID and usually anti-WAKA type things, sometimes with actual reasoned arguments too. And they are like a pitbull, once they clamp down they will keep posting until their tormenter gives up or goes away.

I just find it somewhat funny how these things manifest themselves, much as they do in life, in the relatively small kickball world. What's interesting is that with so many people playing in so many different leagues now, is what people will have to say in the future. And how excited they will be to defend their newest love until the next one comes around.