Ok, so we've got some rotten apples in this bunch of parents, but there's one guy who stands out. His daughter has been injured and out all season, so I haven't seen him for most of the year. However, as the team advanced through the state tournament he began showing up at games.
At this particular game that he was at, my wife had the misfortune of standing next to him. I was at my other daughter's game so I got this stuff in the post-game report (probably a good thing I wasn't there).
The team was having a difficult time establishing a rhythm and according to my report, the girls weren't running very hard or challenging on posession. The boo birds in our group began whining and whinging about the girls' play and yelling at them.
This fellow who had been monologuing on how he was a youth coach in another sport, as well as a referee, and I guess, an all-around genius, began commenting loudly on the play of the forwards, which is where my daughter plays.
He then began criticizing my daughter's lack of running, and loudly enough for my wife to hear. (Now, keep in mind that my daughter's injury had re-occurred and was affecting her ability to run). My wife asked him to repeat his comments, which he declined. He then said under his breath, but loud enough to be heard, that my daughter was lazy.
What a prince! A real class act. Last time I checked this was still youth soccer, involving young people who deserve only our support and encouragement, not criticism and negativity. I understand that some adults carry around a lot of negative emotional problems. They need to seek counseling, not project that onto 15 and 16-year-old girls.
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