Have you ever been involved in youth sports as a coach or parent? If that was in the past, do you look back at yourself and your actions with fondness…or with a grimace? I started out in soccer as a coach. I knew nothing. But that didn’t prevent me from loudly expressing my opinions. I remember some times as a parent that now make me ashamed.
This was especially true after I became a referee and heard how bad all that sounds. Try it sometime.
I’m trying to draw a spiritual lesson from an incident that affected me deeply last weekend. There is a young girl (about 16 or so) who has worked as a referee for me for several years. She is good, if young. Last weekend I put her in the position of authority in a match of 12-year-olds. Should have been fine. But, coach went berserk. She should have ejected him, but she was too kind.
After the game, he approaches her and puts his arm around her shoulders. OK, that’s totally inappropriate in any situation. Touching a referee (unless you’re friends) takes the inappropriate to the next level. Then in this intimate setting, he proceeds to tell her how terrible she is. So we go to yet another level of inappropriate. Assistant coach then offers — if she doesn’t report them, they won’t file a report on how bad she is. Oh, by the way, if you haven’t guessed already, they lost the game.
Now, for all I know, the coaches are fine, upstanding Christian gentlemen. Or, they may not have seen the inside of a church since their wedding. But I’ve been at this for over 25 years, and I still can’t believe how people act. All sense of proportion is lost.
James instructed us to tame our tongues. What a simple little instruction in a good, but short, letter. But how hard to do. And nothing seems to bring out our inner anger than a sporting event–especially one in which our children are participating. I know better, and I’ve failed in my life. But what a teaching moment was lost on those coaches. Maybe we need to be reminded when we fall short?
Faith Venture 
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