We hope most of the soccer moms and dads realized something vital was awry before the police cruiser rolled up to Ambleside’s artificial turf field Saturday.
The preliminary facts of the case are as follows: a parent picked up the soccer ball, an argument ensued and someone punched a 45-year-old woman in the jaw.
Sideline violence, thankfully, is a rare occurrence at youth sports. Such eruptions are ugly, but they are also explicable.
Grumbles about the coach, haranguing of teenage referees, and guttural cries that could cool the blood of a lynx are commonplace. Parents summarize games by saying: “We won,” as though dad’s bleacher bellowing caromed Junior’s kick into the net.
These varying levels of obliviousness and obnoxiousness are slowly sapping sport’s joy from many young athletes.
A recent Vital Signs report noted sports participation has dropped 17 per cent for Canadians 15 years old and older. In short: many kids quit sports as quick as they can.
It’s a shame because at their best, youth sports allow an outpouring of enthusiasm, the slow teaching of ethics (you try to win – fairly) and an understanding of how to work as a team. But any meaningful sports lesson can be quickly and permanently eclipsed by the sight of handcuffs glinting under field lights.
When winning becomes too important to too many parents every child loses. Let’s get kids back on the field, pitch, court and ice. And let’s get parents back, way back, far enough back to see that there’s no TV cameras, corporate sponsorships of million dollar contracts in the offing. It’s just kids playing a game.
That’s enough. That’s everything.
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