Saturday, January 21, 2012

Raving Sports Parents Rant

Bear with me for a minute. I need to rant. I have a boy... a boy who loves sports. As a result, I'm finding myself spending increasing amounts of time on the sidelines cheering him on. I don't mind this so much, and for the most part, I feel I control myself pretty well. I so frequently have the urge to yell either positive or negative things, but parents are supposed to be role models of good sportsmanship, and so I try to keep these urges under wraps. It is proper to cheer a great move or goal, but it is also best to let the coaches do the coaching. I'll even occasionally cheer a great move by the other team. The point is to have fun and watch our kids learn and grow, especially when they are young. The point is not to beat the other team to a bloody pulp.

The problem is that there are parents out there that do not follow these guidelines. There are parents that spend the entire game screaming at their children and generally making a..es of themselves. This has got to be embarrassing and difficult for the kids getting screamed at, but it's also obnoxious to the other parents having to listen to it.

I've just spent the past hour being forced to listen to one such parent. This mom (yes, a mom) makes me want to strangle her. She is so loud, she drowns out the coaches doing their job on the other side of the field. Every time my kid plays the team that has got her kid on it, I have to brace myself, and maybe try to sit as far away from her on the stands as I can. I actually think her kid's team is a good team with a lot of  great kids on it, and it would otherwise be a pleasure to see each match. This woman ruins it for me (and I'm sure many others). The parents in this league frequently get general reminders about what good sportsmanship is and how to behave on the sidelines, but I have actually seen parents get up and start insulting each other during a game, and heard tales of physical altercations.

Can you believe that? When the parents are acting more childish than the kids, something is really wrong. We, as responsible parents, shouldn't have to be reminded to behave in a courteous manner. Next time you are at a soccer, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, or (fill in the blank) match, remember your kids are hearing you and think about what kind of messages you really are giving them.

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