Post by spectator on Aug 17, 2015 12:01:00 GMT -5
Please either learn or educated the more challenged on your sidelines what offside, a handball or a foul really are. If I had a dollar for every shriek from an overzealous/undereducated parent, I'd be stinking rich. And while yes, my kid has been known to play aggressively and foul from time to time, she is far from the 'thug' one dad called her last weekend. Chill, Pop, your kid was giving as good as she was getting, too.
This weekend though - OMG - saw a couple of younger teams and I weep for the future of soccer sidelines based on these folks. Besides the obvious lack of knowledge, was the ridiculous coddling they did to their players. Examples over two separate games with multiple teams from our observations:
1. U10 parent walking out on the field when their kid fell down. Not hurt - just fell down. The woman marched out there with hand sanitizer. Backfield - luckily the play was downfield but I'm betting this chick would have mowed down nine year olds to get to her kid to wipe his face. Ref saw but said nothing - shame on her for not stopping play to ream out that mom. In Ref's defense, she was probably as shocked as we were to see that. Next time, hon - toss the helicopter parent out of there!
2. U11 girls crying because it was hot and parents going over to the team tent to hold them on their laps while they cried. Yup, right on the bench under the team tent. Coach looked annoyed as heck but he let them stay - shame on you, coach - you just enabled the behavior - nip it -nip it in the bud, dude!
3. U11 girls parents again - screaming for red cards? THEY ARE TEN! Honestly folks, soccer is a contact sport and there will be some shoulder to shoulder action and pushing but there were no blatant red card fouls.
4. U11 girls - one more time - parents coaching non stop from the sidelines. 'Coaching' meaning yelling 'boot it' and 'run'. And really obnoxious dad never noticed that his kid would look over at him in a panic every time he yelled then would completely miss the play and he'd yell at her for not running. That kid really was in tears after the game but blowhard dad didn't notice. Way to go, ace, at least she'll save you the $$$ next year when she quits because she hates every second of soccer while you're there,
But finally - MOVE YOUR BUTTS BACK SO THE AR CAN GET DOWN THE FIELD. We saw a young AR very politely ask parents to please step back and every last one of them ignored her. Yes, this was a teenage girl working your kid's game - she's being paid but that does not mean you can ignore her or yell at her when she bumps into one of your other kids who refuse to move back so she can have room. We saw one mother unleash at the AR saying she had 'hurt' her other kids by bumping into them - the little boys were practically on the field and we'd seen that AR ask them twice to move. Luckily the center was an older gentleman who walked over and told the mom to move the kids or leave the field completely - she'd been screaming at him and everyone on the other team for the entire game. We ran into that center ref as we were leaving, he recognized my kid from last year and asked if she was still refereeing - she said no, she was sick of the idiots. Sadly he agreed and said he probably wasn't going to continue either - he sited his own aged knees (his words) as the main reason but did say he was over the sidelines - both coaches and parents. Folks, chill - or you'll be refereeing your own games soon. When the seasoned vets quit, we're all screwed.
Stay tuned, got an old friend from another team playing in a tournament this weekend and we're planning to stop by - I'm sure we'll have a few more observations of the idiocy of adults. It's really entertaining when you don't have a dog in the hunt and can just listen. It does make you a better sideline parent - give it a try - or condemn one your worst offenders to signing up for the ref classes!
Sigh - it's only August - pass the Tylenol or tequila!