CHEERING JUNIOR

Life liberty and the pursuit of the onside ball. We might well have come to USA seeking freedom from European persecutions of one sort or another. If you believe some of the latter day New York Times best seller seekers we may well have come here seeking to practice persecutions of one sort or another without any European hinderence. We might like to walk around thinking 236 years is more than enough time added on for us to have shaped a new and separate identity but the call of the ball is strong, the referee of eternity’s whistle echoes through the empty soccer stadiums of our hearts.
 
It might take little more than signing junior up to play some non-combatant, harmless, socially sanitized soccer for all those European demons to come howling out of the deserted stands, pouring from the ghostly mouths of millions of fallen fans, thousands of failed pundits. Xenophobia – fear of the other. Religious schism, my divine formation is the one true formation. Political dissent and unAmerican activity facing off for a quick 5-a-side kick to the death. Am I reading too much into it you ask? Are you, gentle reader, guardian of refereeing for the team, by the team, and of the team, reading too little? Let’s kick off and see what the first half brings. Heads you win, tails I lose. Fair enough? So, away we go …

WHY SO MANY PARENTS SIGN JUNIOR UP FOR SOCCER
 
Most parents, casting around for junior’s first organized sporting activity take a cursory look at soccer and see a nice, safe-looking game that doesn’t seem to involve much dangerous physical contact. This is especially appealing to boomers. More on the reality of that supposed safety of the game perception later. In addition, in the current economic climate with a good deal of house values underwater and a lot of retirement plans going the way of the dinosaur, they also see a game that doesn’t involve masses of expensive equipment. They might have heard US women play the game pretty well and it’s conceivable they vaguely know who David Beckham is, so they sign junior up for soccer.
 
Kitty is a suburban Seattle mom with two young daughters. Whereas their lives are not majorly shaped by soccer, the game does have some impact on their family. She told me her husband occasionally goes to MLS Seattle Sounders games “but it’s mostly just an excuse to hang out with friends.” However, he is also head coach of a group 7 year olds that includes their daughter Riley.
 
“Last year, we had trouble scrounging up volunteers, so he was the only coach. But this year, two other dads have stepped in. Both of them are European (Dutch and German) and take the game more seriously than the other parents. I think this Fall will be interesting as the girls will be challenged a bit more than last year. Spacing out and picking daisies whilst goal tending may be frowned upon.”
 
She also has perfectly valid parenting reasons for enrolling junior in soccer, reasons now backed up by a solid amount of hard data. Kitty puts it this way:
 
“Girls who play team sports are less likely to get in trouble. So for me, keeping the kid healthy and out of jail is my main reason for getting involved in soccer.”
 
Such are the inroads the beautiful game has made in recent years into the American mainstream, Kitty also has her own interest in soccer, “the only way that professional soccer impacts me is flipping through a magazine to see Becks in an underwear ad. For that brief, no pun intended, moment before I turn the page, I am a huge soccer fan.”
 
To be continued …