May 4, 2013
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Overheard on the Soccer Field
A dad to his daughter, 7 yrs old: “If you don’t start being aggressive and kicking the ball when it is near you, I’m not going to drive you to soccer ever again.”
Coach, to all girl team of 7-8 year olds: “When you are on defense, your job is to HARASS the other team. Just get in there and HARASS them like nobody’s business.”
(The whole time he’s speaking, a girl is raising her hand urgently and being shushed by the assistant coach. The head coach keeps going on and on with his harassment speech, and then finally lets the little girl speak.)Girl: “What does harass mean?”
Comments (7)
This makes me glad I’m not sports-Mom anymore!
Well, it kinda matters, doesn’t it?! What “harrass” means?! I sat through an excruciatingly long lunch with a whole group of baseball moms at a really nice restaurant yesterday. I had to go away in my mind while they were discussing eight-year-old baseball because I find it so appalling. Childhood sports…ugh.
@gottobereal64 – I know – though it makes for good blog fodder, at times.
@ordinarybutloud – It matters immensely. And btw,according to Coach, it means “anger, bother, and annoy,” so it’s a GREAT thing to tell 8 yo girls who will surely take it out of context. As for your baseball lunch – ugh – I try to avoid all social interactions related to sport teams. I am surprisingly adept at this, as I hide behind the Mr., who is usually coaching and always more outgoing on that crowd.
Oi! I thought at 7-8 years old they were still focusing on the rules of the game and developing the skills they need to play the game – like passing and dribbling and making shots on goal! I’m so glad I’m done with that scene!! My condolences!
If the point of the game is not to play the game then it isn’t cricket so to speak but just another way to baost as to how bettter you are at bullying than the other guys.The first thing a losing team should do is to applaud the winners.
Wow, that’s horrible!