When it comes to picking his ideal DC celebrity kickball team, Carter Rabasa is an equal opportunity offender.  “Definitely not Nancy Pelosi,” he says. “But not George W. Bush either—he’s too incompetent.”  James Carville is out, Dick Cheney, definitely in – “he’s ruthless.”  Rabasa wants DC United’s Freddy Adu (note: Adu was actually traded to Real Salt Lake in ’06), and opts for Wizards forward Caron Butler over superstar Gilbert Arenas, because “he’s more of a team player.”

On a warm Monday night, fresh off of my team’s second big victory of the season, I sat down with Carter Rabasa, founder and president of DCK Sports, LLC.  A youthful 29, Rabasa founded DC’s first independent adult kickball league back in 2005.  This year, it boasts over 1600 players in five different divisions, who kick, bunt, and catch on fields from Adams Morgan to the National Mall.  Managing DCKickball is Rabasa’s full-time job, one that he sees himself continuing for the next four to five years.  Don’t worry though, kickballers, Rabasa wants the DCK brand to stick around long after he’s gone.  “This might sound cheesy,” he tells me, “but I want DCKickball to go on forever.  I hope it becomes an engrained fixture of an organization in DC, with or without me at the helm.”

Not everyone feels that way.  Less than a year after breaking out of the World Adult Kickball Association (WAKA) to form his own league, Rabasa got served with a “lovely little lawsuit” (filed by the former) alleging copyright infringement and defamation.  Not to be deterred, he started a Legal Defense Fund, hired a lawyer, and spends much of his time mired in paperwork while the games play on.  After all, Rabasa’s no martyr.  He’s pragmatic, and used his background in economics (he has a BS in Computer Science & Econ from William & Mary) to conceptualize the idea of an independent DC kickball league.  “From a business/economics point of view, it’s always good to have alternatives,” Rabasa says, noting that he essentially saw an opportunity and took it.  400 kickballers signed up overnight, and DCKickball was born.

Entrepreneurship aside, Carter Rabasa emulates a true love of the game of kickball.  He’s not phased by the “haters”—the softball and Frisbee players who question kickball’s athletic authenticity.  He’s certain that the best kickball players could easily go head to head with players from either sport, but “our general philosophy is inclusive.”  Just like in gym class, even the weakest players can get into the game.  Rabasa’s overarching ideology, that he returns to throughout the interview, is about having fun on and off the field, creating memories while enjoying the game.  As his role model, he cites Little Rock Kickball’s founder, Larry Betz, a true man of the sport with an out-sized personality.  But Carter Rabasa’s not soft, not hardly.  When asked if he would ever want to challenge softball or Frisbee stars to a kickball game, he smiles.  “Yes. Definitely.  There is absolutely a lot to learn about how to play well and succeed.  If you just threw them into a kickball game, there’s no way they would function properly.” 

What makes a kickball player great?  It’s the value that leads Rabasa to choose Butler over Arenas: selflessness.  “A lot of people want to kick the ball as hard as they can,” he says.  “But that generally results in a pop-fly that’s easy to catch.  If you’re more team-oriented, you kick a lower line-drive and end up on base.”  Not surprisingly, he also recommends reading the rules of the game.  And one more thing: “I tell people to just relax and have a good time.”  Carter Rabasa in a nutshell.

Getting back to our initial conversation, you ladies out there will be pleased to note that Carter Rabasa scoffed at picking Jenna or Barbara Bush for his team.  “You’ve got to have hot girls on your team, or else what’s the point?”  As I hurriedly transcribe his question, Rabasa laughs.  “Yeah,” he says, “make sure you include that quote in the article.”