What I am going to briefly describe will be hard to believe…yep…feel free to shake your head along with me.
For the last four months, I have been a football mom…
4 days a week…all day Saturday…every Saturday…
This sports mom thing has its advantages, but by mid October, I am ready for it to be done. I want to recapture my life, and this year….it was not to be – IS not to be…for two more weeks.
WE ARE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL, and it’s been laced with drama!
Yep, my two oldest sons made it to the Pop Warner National Championship round to be played next week in Orlando at the ESPN Wide World of Sports arena.
There has been serious drama surrounding my two oldest sons team this year, and quite frankly, I have spent the last 5 weeks grieving over the reality of what adults will do to win…a game!
Last month I had a post titled…
The Corruption of Youth Sports.
Yep, I did…a little harsh, so I didn’t post it. I shared about the struggle for families to prioritize: to reclaim their families, and stress the importance of encouraging character development.
Ok, here is where you tell me to get off of my soap box because I am climbing up…right now…and I guarantee I will yell everything I can from the top of my lungs in whatever I can type in umm…. ten minutes.
Ready….GO!!!
I then vented on this post because our whole team felt like we were living in a bad made for TV movie. A movie that seemed so surreal because we just kept shaking our heads and saying, “Is this seriously happening?”
Certainly not….people don’t really live/act like this, do they?
In my posts, I had links to numerous TV interviews with our coach, and newspaper articles written about our team regarding their COURT cases and the lawsuits surrounding the wins. One disgruntled opponent was trying to disqualify our team based on an “illegal roster”, and was pulling out all stops to make it happen.
I had pictures of the legal papers that the policemen SERVED two opposing teams. Papers that told them they had to cease and dissis (who even knows how to spell that) and immediately stop the game that they were trying to underhandedly play in order to remove us from the championship).
My kids witnessed people being physically restrained numerous times, language that would make your ears triple pierce on command, and stories surrounding illegal gambling rings that was the whole center focus of the drama.
Ah…there’s nothing like the beauty that comes from a little healthy competition among YOUTH SPORTS.
And through it all, we have been trying to teach our boys about life.
Youth sports, when kept in perspective, gives you multiple opportunities for life lessons.
Life lessons that demonstrate how to win-lose gracefully…with honor and respect…with humility and gratefulness regardless of how others are treating you.
Opportunities to measure accomplishment in the light of God’s grace.
This is very hard to do when society is telling you that the end justifies the means, and unfortunately, my sons have seen “the means” .
I am not up to taking the time to process my thoughts and write them in an endearing way about all the life lessons we have learned through this whole mess…you kind of get the vomited version, but one thing rings true…
Character isn’t developed in the midst of adversity. Character is revealed during these times.
Take the time now to be intentional with planting the seeds of character and virtue in your own life, and the lives of your children, so when the tough times come, virtue and God’s righteousness can be magnified through these challenges.
If we don’t instill it now, trust me…..the other side isn’t so pretty. Stars Wars rings true….come on over to the dark side, and yikes…many came.
With all that being said….I am SO proud of their team, and how they handled things.
We have been blessed with a very generous coach who loves these kids.
I am seriously one of those moms who could care less about the success of the game, but I CARE DEEPLY about what they do with that success or lack of it.
They have persevered under some pretty difficult situations.
For 13-16 year old boys, what they have endured was tough stuff. Through it all, their team (and the parents who come from such vastly different walks of life) were brought much closer together.
Adversity will either make or break a situation and for them…they overcame.
The midget league started with 3,000 teams and only 8 are heading to Disney.
Since planning for a week long trip in the middle of Dec. was definitely not on my calendar, I am trying to process all that needs to be done to leave this next week.
Survival mode has kicked in just when I was getting ready to have my calendar cleared for my 4 break that I live for all fall.
Do you know how many things I have to cancel? UGH!
Doesn’t spontaneous and Disney seem like an oxymoron?
If anyone has an ideas on cheap Disney tickets, I would love to know.
I heard that you can buy hopper passes that people haven’t finished….is this true?
I need to wrap this up…it was going to be a short post this Monday morning.
Here I am with my mom and daughter in mid -October when being a football mom was still a good thing. 🙂
Congratulations to the team, and to your sons, and to the parents and coaches who, through this ordeal, have set examples of how we should live in the midst of adversity!
I will be praying for all of you, and for the spontaneous trip to Disney! I pray that the Lord makes a way for you to enjoy every bit of it, and that you will be singing His praises over all He has done!
Wow, Jen! I thought youth sports were bad here in Mississippi! We actually changed baseball districts because the one we had been in had just gotten so wrapped up in winning at all costs. It was so awful to hear the coaches and parents cussing each other and the umpires out, very loudly, in front of the kids. The one we moved to is so much more low key and I never heard any of the stuff I did at the other one.
Hopefully next year will be much calmer than this one has been for your boys’ team. Just keep focusing on the fact that they are learning so many life lessons!
Congratulations to their team. It really is sad how some people act with youth sports! Yes, I know many life lessons were learned throughout this ordeal. I hope everything goes well for your son’s team!!!
Congrats to the team! Way to go!
What a great post on character and when it “comes out”..how true!!! You learn a lot about our society and it’s values when you sit on the sidelines of a sports game..amazing isn’t it??
Thank you for stepping on your soap box today!
-sandy toes
I'm a football/gymnastics mom & have to agree with everything you said. Adults can be so childish when it comes to sports.
Congrats to the boys on some well played football.
Have a great trip & we'll expect pictures.
I can just see you teaching values to your sons….speak up girl like you always do…that’s what drew me to you in the beginning…
It’s out there, everywhere……sigh
Oh! I am so with you! Though our experiences weren't nearly as bad as yours sound. I am so turned off by the way people approach youth sports, like it's their livelihood. I completely agree that priorities need to be made in familys.
Anyway, I pray your trip is an amazing one & you return beyond blessed by the time away!
Congratulations to the team! I cannot imagine that much drama! I thought our teams were bad, but they are nothing like that! I think it’s great that you persevered and stuck with the season. We probably would have given up and stopped playing at that time. What a great idea to teach your children during the adversity!
Have a great time at Disney!
I think that is terrible all that has been going on. I never would have thought it would have been like that in youth sports. How sad! I am so glad that you are teaching your sons a different way though. It’s only a game but I think some parents take it to the extreme. That sure isn’t teaching good character.
I think it’s wonderful that they are getting to go to the championship! I hope y’all can manage a little fun at Disney!
Congrats to their team!!
My kids aren’t teens yet so I haven’t experienced the drama. I’m not looking forward to it.
Big Congrats to your boys. I know you will be ready for a Christmas break. Thanks for the thought provoking post about our all consuming love for sports. It does me good to think this through a little more carefully.
Oh, Jen. I had no idea!
I love what you said about developing character, before the adversity. Well said.