Let’s paint a scene. Saturday morning, 7 a.m. The coach is on his second Red Bull, dragging nets onto the field while trying to keep track of his own kids, who are wrestling in the parking lot. Meanwhile, an assortment of bleary-eyed lacrosse parents is slowly ambling out of their cars, looking ready to do anything but help. Here’s the twist, though: these parents will spend more time today criticizing this youth lacrosse program than the coach spent on his taxes last year.
And it’s an impressive skill. Parents at these games can pinpoint the exact second they think the coach messed up (probably about two seconds in) but will miss the fact that he’s been schlepping around heavy bags of equipment since dawn. They’ll complain that the practice schedule interferes with swim class, that the snack options are not “nutrient-forward,” and that the jerseys make their kids look “washed out.” And yet, when it comes to stepping up? They’re about as absent as a clean port-a-potty at a music festival.