Claude Debussy on the Pitch
How do we tune out or address overbearing parents at youth sporting events?
Attending youth sporting events can be stressful. People, read: parents, lose their minds at soccer games. Because of this, I tried a new tactic which allows me, a dad, to enjoy my kids’ games while tuning out the negative energy on the sidelines.
On Sunday, first at my daughter’s travel game at noon then my son’s game at three o’clock, I plugged in my headphones. I turned up the volume to a considerable decibel and listened to a collection of Claude Debussy’s piano classics: “Debussy for Study,” a curated playlist on Spotify.
The first song, you may have guessed, “Claire de Lune.”
My children play competitive soccer at the highest level for their age bracket. As a result, one thing you quickly learn while traveling to these games all over the state, and neighboring states, is many parents (not all, but some) are vicariously living out an unrealized dream of their own through their children. Those same parents are also of the belief their child is NCAA Division I capable.
Is it possible I am a spectator on the sidelines watching budding collegiate soccer players? Yes.
