"Hey ref, are you blind?" "Have you swallowed your whistle?" These are just a few comments I have overheard during sporting events. Between coaches screaming at officials and parents screaming at their kids, sports have become an ultimate example of buffoonery. I can distinctly remember one hockey game in which a parent got so disgusted at the opposing team, he started threatening the opposing players' parents. Then when the man's wife tried to calm him down, he took a swing at her. This is a prime example of how parents are ruining their children's athletic enjoyment.

When a child sees his or her parent going off the deep end, it is an embarrassment. Just a couple of weeks ago I sat at a hockey game, blocking my ears. This man sitting next to me was reaching decibel measures off the charts. I put up with him for a while, but then decided to move. But I could still hear that distinctly annoying voice. This man was the loudest, most obnoxious person, who was literally trying to tell the coach what to do from the stands.

These are the type people who can turn a simple game into a complete nightmare. They lose control and make complete and total idiots of themselves. They scream and holler at parts of the game they have no control over. Sometimes these parents get totally carried away. At one event a man who had been drinking decided that because a mother was cheering for her son, he would push her down the stairs on the bleachers. And he did.

This is a complete disgrace; these people are disgraces. Yes, the occasional correction or comment by a parent is okay, or if a parent criticizes a child privately, this is a little bit more acceptable. However when a parent stoops to taking physical action, there is a serious problem with his judgment.

These people are sabotaging the whole reason their child plays sports; to compete and have fun. These people need to step back and realize what they are doing. So next time you come in contact with a noisy parent, don't make the same mistake I made by trying to leave their presence; leave the rink, they aren't worth listening to. ?