Youth sports ratings from a boy mom
A few years ago, I decided to rank the youth sports that my children, ages 9 and 6, have played. I ranked them on a scale of “really bad mood” to “rainbows and butterflies.” That scale was absolutely ridiculous, and I really don’t know what I was thinking when I wrote that.
I also received a lot of feedback on my ranking of basketball at “really bad mood” because the buzzer is too loud. I am a geriatric millennial. Don’t you expect this from me?
I’ve learned more about youth sports over the last few years. So, I’ve decided to grade youth sports this time around, because that other scale just won’t work. The sports will be graded on my personal experience, not the experience of my child.
The following sports will receive grades: baseball, basketball, and soccer. They will be graded on my knowledge of the rules, weather/location, and miscellaneous opinions. The boys also swim during the summer, but I just don’t have the space to fit it in the rankings. Sorry swimming.
Baseball
Henry has played four seasons and Simon has played two seasons of baseball. My husband was the head baseball coach at OHS for seven years. Somehow after sitting through seven years of home games, I still only know the basic rules. But that has been okay. I understand what is going on in the game and only rarely call the umpire a referee.
Baseball occurs in the spring. Spring is my favorite season despite my horrible allergies to everything in nature. I enjoy sitting at the field and watching the boys play, especially when it feels nice outside. The baseball field also has a concession stand to fuel my need for Diet Mountain Dew.
My husband always coaches the boys’ teams, so I don’t really have to do anything but show up and watch. This gives baseball bonus points.
Overall, baseball gets an A.
Basketball
Henry played one season of basketball. He was not a fan. Simon played for one season. He is a huge fan and will play again next year. I played basketball way back in the 90’s, so my knowledge of the rules isn’t exactly where it should be. If you see me looking at my phone during a basketball game, I am probably googling what a jump ball is.
Basketball occurs in the winter, my least favorite season. The basketball gym is usually cold. Yes, I wear a coat, and yes, I still strongly dislike the buzzer. There is no concession stand so I must make sure I come prepared with caffeine.
I do love watching the boys play basketball despite the loud buzzer and cold gym. They get a little more banged up than they do in baseball, but that’s good for them.
Overall, basketball gets a B, only because of the buzzer and cold weather.
Soccer
Henry has played soccer for five seasons and Simon has played for three. The rules of soccer are too complex for me to comprehend. I will never understand offsides. I have never played soccer. Luckily my husband has, and he is happy to coach. I spend soccer games cheering on the boys and probably yelling something completely irrelevant about the game. My favorite quotes are “kick the ball” and “run.” Sometimes paired with “go sports.”
Soccer is a fall sport for the Johnson family. The fields are usually about ten degrees colder than the real world. I now know to bring a sweatshirt even if it’s 80 degrees outside. There are no buzzers, only whistles. The concession stand is always stocked with Diet Mountain Dew and they also sell miniature pizzas, which are a personal favorite since I was introduced to Book-It in grade school.
Overall, soccer receives an A-, only because I don’t understand the rules.
Pretty solid scores for youth sports this year. Thanks for reading this far.
Have a great summer!
