By Lily Milholm, Staff Writer
With the beautiful and complex art of soccer comes the maddening pressure of parents. There are a million different “soccer mom” stereotypes, but all are equally insane.
There are the “hungry tiger” parents that live vicariously through their athletes. They attend all games and communicate with their children throughout the entire game. They sit on the opposite end of the field, so as to keep away from the coach. They scream when their child is fouled and cheer when their child fouls. They cheer the loudest at their athlete’s success and brag to anyone that will listen. They buy soccer gear and college recruitment information books for their kids every chance they get. They rarely praise their child after games, but always have a substantial amount of criticism. They are heavily involved in all team drama but refuse to have anything to do with planning or fundraising. These parents are often disliked by coaches and the other team parents. They make games and tournaments more stressful.
The “team mom” stereotype is opposite of the “hungry-tiger.” He or she brings snacks for the entire team during tournament weekends and reminds everyone to hydrate and get plenty of vitamin C. Not only do they micromanage their own child’s life, but every single member of the team. They lecture the athletes and parents alike about the importance of high SPF. They know the stats of all the individual players. They know who is injured and all homemade remedies. They can be found massaging the players five minutes before warm up. They fret and stress during game time about everyone’s health. Everyone appreciates all that this soccer mom does. But they drive everyone nuts.
Then there is the mom that doesn’t know anything about the game. She comes to a game every once in a while, and typically sits next to the “hungry tiger” so as to know what to cheer for. They come to field with freshly blown-out hair, beautifully manicured nails, and brand-name high heels. They keep their faces in their phones and complain about turf getting all over their car. They try to befriend the other parents and bond over the stresses of having a child athlete. This mom doesn’t get as much attention as she’s used to. None of the players or parents have much respect for her.
Soccer moms are great and make the soccer world go round. All forms are inevitable. Some are more lovable than others, but soccer wouldn’t be soccer without them.