Ain't it a Durn Shame...

David P. Hillgrove

Ain't it a Durn Shame that there are people out there who can appreciate the intricacies of the vertical vs. horizontal bunt methods, the time-measured lead, the grip of a baseball across the seams rather than with them... as well as the double-team at the point of attack, the run-and-shoot, the Monster Defense... not to mention the baseline double post, the high-low motion offense, sagging zones... and yet, these same "sports fans" cannot even appreciate, no, make that tolerate, the beauty of the world's most popular sport?

Ain't it a durn shame that all of the best referees are on the sidelines of every game?

Ain't it a durn shame to see a league where 300 children wear 300 different uniforms, practice on 37 different teams, with 185 different soccer balls, at five different sites and play 281 different matches on 13 different Saturdays and utilize 41 different referees, AND the same four people organize, telephone, administrate, maintain the fields, quartermaster the equipment and quietly go home at the end of the season, while no one else volunteers to assist them?

Ain't it a durn shame that you can spend $82 on an excellent pair of soccer shoes for your young'un, only to have them outgrow them before they wear them out?

Ain't it a durn shame to travel anywhere in any state, or any sport, and see leagues argue and bicker amongst themselves, where grown adults use children as pawns to settle some pre-conceived power struggles, where parents forget that the main purpose behind their children's participation is one of recreation and enjoyment, and where unity in the name of the game of sport is but an illogical, idealistic notion/fantasy?

Ain't it a durn shame to hear the parent's of an eight year old talk about training and preparing their child vigorously for a college career?

Ain't it a durn shame to see an 11 year old player step up and announce that they "play left wing" or "right back" and refuse the encouragement to play anywhere else on the pitch?

Ain't it a durn shame to see parents who enter their children in a sport to learn teamwork and sportsmanship, yet stand on the sidelines during matches and prove that it doesn't exist all around us? And to add insult to injury, when questioned later as to why they rode the refs so bad, reply: "They had it coming" or "They deserved it."

Ain't it a durn shame that occasionally a soccer player/team/parent will interfere with a softball game or practice played on an adjacent field, when it is painfully obvious that these people do not remember the struggle that pioneer soccer families endured from these reasonably cooperative sports, while WE tried to gain credibility and numbers, back in dem days?

Ain't it a durn shame that the NCAA lumped all collegiate sports together in their reform package, reducing the number of games, weeks of participation and disallowing collegiate players from playing the sport that they love outside of their collegiate season (including select and national teams)?

This article first appeared in Soccer magazine