Let us play

I started playing sports when I was 5. I love sports—tennis, track, basketball, softball, especially soccer. I have won and lost championships from local to national levels. I have had a great time.

I have had the pleasure of meeting some great parents and coaches; on the other hand, there are parents who know nothing about sportsmanship.

I have been a witness to unbelievable acts of poor sportsmanship—parents making reference to teammate’s weight, race and gender. Parents have screamed at me for some imaginary infraction they claim I committed 50 yards away from them. It can be unnerving. Once, when my team was playing a team from Mandeville, a parent shouted to her daughter to stomp on my hand as I lay on the pitch.

The team’s parents were relentless in their menace of the referees and the players. They instructed their girls to hurt us if necessary. After we won, they accused us of playing too rough and threatened to sue. The parents and coaches shouted profanities at us as we left the field. Our parents had to walk between us because they thought we might be physically attacked. One of the parent/coaches, a middle-aged woman in a white tank top and black short shorts, was shouting “white trash” at us as we left the field. The irony was not lost on the group of 15-year-olds she was harassing. The team refused their second-place trophies and drove off in a cloud of dust.

My advice to parents is to enjoy the game. Set good examples to your children by being good sports. I play for the love of the game. I hate to lose, but if I do, I walk off that field with my head held high. My parents do not scream at the referees, coaches, and never, ever at the teenage girls I am playing against.

My parents wanted me to enjoy all that is positive about playing on a team, and I have.

Too bad so many parents get involved for reasons other than the love of the game. These parents don’t allow themselves or their children the positive benefits of playing sports.