Anyone who has spent any amount of time around high school athletics knows the worst part is often the parents. Whether it’s putting too much pressure on the kids or yelling at the refs, they can make a fun game turn into a nightmare for all involved.
Horrible soccer parents were on full display this week during a junior varsity high school match in New Jersey. Hispanic players for Trenton Central High School were the targets of racist comments.
Parents from the opposing school, Hopewell Valley, shouted, “Speak English” and “This is America,” according to a report from NJ.com.
The shouts were so bad, the coach of Trenton Central told the referee and called the cops. (For once, the cops were called on white people.) Fear of the police apparently was enough for the parents to shut up and the rest of the match was played without incident.
Authorities said parents claimed a Trenton Central player used a Spanish profanity toward the referee, sparking the “This is America” comments, but the referee didn’t report any such comments. The ref didn’t hear any questionable comments from the parents, either.
The Hopewell Valley superintendent said they have leads on who some of the parents might be and “will impose sanctions” if found true.
The Trenton school district to which Trenton Central belongs is about 50 percent Hispanic, according to NJ.com. Hopewell’s school district, meanwhile, is 75 percent white and less than five percent Hispanic.
Here’s a tip to all you parents out there watching your kids play soccer: Don’t target opposing players with any comments, especially those of the racist variety. Obviously, you should never target anyone with racist comments, except maybe if it’s a goldendoodle. Those things give me the creeps.
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