Arumba · @Arumba07
24th Apr 2016 from TwitLonger
Further explanation from yesterdays stream of tweets
So yesterday after I got home from my kid's soccer event, I was upset and started tweeting about it. Unfortunately twitter messages are very short and it may have been hard to articulate the exact situation. So I'll try using this format instead.
Here's the situation:
I played soccer from age 4 up to 20, from little tike soccer to junior varsity and varsity, I played on a specialized club called a "Little Caesers Premier" team (yes that's a real thing, and very competitive). We traveled long distances to play games against other really good teams, and it was my favorite sport. I tried nearly every other sport available to me from Football to swimming, track, long distance, tennis, and golf. But I always stuck with soccer, every season. I played indoor soccer during the winter, usually 2-3 of the 'seasons' of it to stay busy.
So what happened yesterday that got me upset was that my son was playing goalie, and the referee kept telling him he couldn't throw the ball. They aren't allowed to punt it, which makes *some* sense to me because it is a smaller field, but now they are also apparently not allowed to throw the ball. He was being instructed by the ref to underarm toss the ball to one of his nearest teammates. Who incidentally all had offenders standing right next to them as well. So he tosses the ball, and immediately ends up getting a shot on goal again because of this idiotic restriction that forces him to have no good choices to get the ball out of his area.
During the next waterbreak I walked over to OUR coach, and asked him about this rule, trying to understand what the goal of it was. He said it was new to him as well, they had just introduced it this week, or rather were just now enforcing it. I told him I thought it was a ridiculous restriction and he agreed with me about it. Then the ref came over (mind you again this is still during the water break) and told me I needed to leave the side of the field I was on. He said I was "harassing the coaches". Now that set me off, because number one, I wasn't 'harassing' anyone, I was 'talking' to MY son's coach about the game. Not both coaches, not the other team's coach, just OUR coach.
I usually have a close relationship with my kid's coaches. I've coached soccer for my son myself as well. I have NEVER had an issue with a ref confronting me for a conversation with my own child's coach. So this set me off, and I got verbally confrontational with the guy. I believe I called him as pompous off the field as he is on.
I got the impression he was just trying to flex his exceptionally meager amount of authority and feel high and mighty. He threatened to cancel the game if I didn't leave that area immediately after I told him I was just asking my son's coach a question.
Naturally I left the area because I wanted my son to play his game, but I swear. It reminds me Dwight Schrute from the office, where the smallest amount of authority goes to his head.
And again, for the record, I never once yelled at or talked to the ref until he came over and gave me shit about talking to my son's coach. I am not a heckler.
That's the story!