Air Force Academy tradition and values mandate that every cadet must be an athlete. This not only promotes a life-time involvement in athletics and fitness, but also provides our cadets the leadership and team-building experiences that are inherent within competitive sports. For this reason, cadets who are non-intercollegiate athletes compete in the Air Force Academy Intramural Sports Program.

The Intramural Sports Program offers cadets a multitude of ways to compete, both within the cadet wing and against other programs. Within the cadet wing, each squadron has teams, making squadron success, rather than individual success, the primary objective. During each 15-week season, held in both the fall and spring semesters, over 3,000 cadets making up 400 teams participate in 70 contests twice weekly. There are 8 sports in the fall and 7 in the spring, outlined below.

The most competitive intramural athletes participate in the Extramural Sports Program. Extramural teams are sent to Nebraska, Louisiana, Navy, Colorado State University and other locations to compete on the Regional and National levels. The Extramural Program also hosts the annual American Collegiate Intramural Sport National Fitness Challenge, a competition consisting of multiple events that brings athletes from universities all over the country.

The Intramural Sports Program is cadet-run. It generates nearly 1,000 cadet leadership positions each year. Three active-duty officers oversee the program which is administered by a cadet wing athletic officer and their staff. Other intramural cadet leadership positions include a league sports manager for each sport, a squadron athletic officer for each of the 40 squadrons and a large number of coaches, referees and other administrative personnel.

At the end of each academic year, one squadron is awarded the Malanaphy Trophy. This award goes to the squadron with the most Malanaphy points, which are earned primarily though contest wins and outstanding leadership.