Of course not! Requiring a membership accomplishes a few things:

1) It prevents people from just stumbling onto the site, making a profile, and then never coming back. This keeps our operation lean.

2) It ensures a level of accountability for our users and how they interact with the site, with other members, on forums, etc., in that no one is able to sign up anonymously.

3) It makes sure that everyone who is here wants to be here.

Also, subscriptions are currently how we fund the League and keep things running.

They're used entirely for funding the League's activities. Right now, everyone who makes this happen works entirely on a volunteer basis. Any money we get from subscriptions or ticket sales goes directly into things like: purchasing sports gear and equipment, renting venues and activity spaces, maintaining the website, supplying water and other basics at our events, etc.

It helps cover the costs of the event itself. Some of the events we run only require sunk costs for things we've already bought, like sports equipment or folding tables, while others require us to rent a space or buy tickets, like bowling or game nights.