My life as a soccer sister
We have all heard the phrase “Soccer Moms,” with their dedication to watching their children play and their passion for athleisure wear and Diet Cokes. But what about the siblings of these soccer “stars”?
Personally, I have two younger brothers, both in travel soccer. Ever since they moved from a calm recreational league to a practice-every-day, hours-long travel soccer league, my life has revolved around their schedule. We “Soccer Sisters,” as we’ll be called from now on, have sacrificed a lot for the good of the game.
Social Life
Most teenagers have endless free time on weekends, or even weekdays, to do as they choose. Not me. On weekdays, I have to take my brothers to or pick them up from soccer practice. Even if I don’t have to chauffeur them around, my life revolves around their soccer schedules, since my parents pay an arm and a leg for my brothers to travel farther and practice more. For example, both brothers may have different practice times, so whenever they’re both home, we plan to have dinner. This dependence on soccer schedules for meals has led to merciless mockery of my earlier, 5pm dinner times, which I still think is not that bad.
As the eldest and the only sibling not involved in soccer, I have had to endure FOMO as my brotherless or soccerless friends hang out while I travel to who knows where for a weekend soccer tournament. And while you would think traveling is fun, this kind of “travel” is the opposite. Usually, these games and tournaments involve early wake-up times for pre-game practice, which, of course, the whole family has to drive to. And then, if they win, of course we get the punishment of having to be there all day and all weekend. So while my brother is happy his team won 2-1, I’m stuck texting my friends that I can’t attend movie night.
This obsession extends beyond my brothers and dad playing soccer. Soccer seeps into other aspects of my life. When the Premier League is in season, the TV constantly displays various soccer games, despite my protests in favor of much-preferred forms of entertainment, like Gilmore Girls. But no, I’m stuck watching soccer for hours while my brothers sit in raptures. Especially this year, during the World Cup, soccer was a constant part of my everyday life. While I admit it was exciting and fun to watch some of the games, I didn’t need to see every game featuring teams that definitely wouldn’t go very far in the tournament.
The game
However, one perk of watching an insane amount of soccer is that I understand the rules, unlike football, where I understand none of what is happening at any given moment. So, I am proud to say I understand most of the rules of soccer. (The offside rule still confuses me sometimes… despite multiple lectures from my brothers, my dad, my mom, and my grandpa.) I have been known to brag about my knowledge, especially when people talked about the Premier League or the World Cup while it was happening. I was—and am—able to spout off information I picked up from being surrounded by soccer fanatics. So, whenever guys in my classes were going on about soccer, I could understand what they were saying, and sometimes I’d be right, and they’d be wrong about a soccer topic. And, not going to lie, that made me feel pretty cool.
Another fun perk is that my brothers are pretty good at soccer. It definitely helped that when my weekends were taken up by one soccer game or tournament, they’d win some games, and occasionally the whole tournament. And the eldest of my two brothers would like to say he’s super good, which isn’t far from the truth.
I have to admit, travel soccer is higher quality than other soccer organizations. For example, after my brother joined my high school’s JV team and started playing, I noticed, for lack of better phrasing, a lack of refinement and skill. I remember my brother saying their practices were more focused on conditioning, rather than his travel soccer practices, which focus on skill refinement and team building. So, even though travel soccer is a pain, and I don’t love the game all that much, at least I get to watch good soccer.
Vacation
Not only is my home life driven by soccer, but my family has also had vacations centered around soccer. Again, with the World Cup happening this year, my brothers and dad got tickets for a Brazil game in Philadelphia. And my mom and I tagged along.
The day before the game was fun, relaxing, and much more my speed. We stopped at fun historical sites and explored all that Philly had to offer. But, of course, the following day had the U.S. vs. Australia game, which we supposedly couldn’t miss. So, we got in line for the Philly fan festival about 45 minutes early, even though it opened an hour before the game. And while I didn’t love the soccer, I did win a $50 Home Depot gift card at one of the stalls while we were walking around, so I’m not mad about that. And who doesn’t love exclusive merch that we also ended up purchasing?
However, after the fun activities, we had to sit in the grass, eat mediocre food, and watch the whole U.S. game in the baking sun. While this experience wasn’t horrible, sitting on the ground was uncomfortable, and I didn’t love the actual soccer. However, the air was electric with anticipation from the live crowd, so I got more invested in how the game progressed. It was similar to how live music is more enjoyable in person.
And, I have to admit, I did go to another fan festival in order to get the beloved free World Cup bracelets with my best friend (shout-out to Amy Ryan at FSU!). But I am not ashamed, because the bracelet is cute, and I did not go for the game itself, so my argument stands. And I did appreciate the extra pizzazz the fan festivals had for the World Cup; it made watching the games much more fun for those who were dragged along.
Separate from soccer-centric vacations, we always end up going to a soccer game wherever we are. Whether that’s Italy, where we saw Inter Milan play, Spain, or any other country or place, even if they aren’t known for soccer. And while I’m not here to hate on live sporting events, because their environment and energy are fun—and don’t forget the fun merch—I don’t find it necessary to go to soccer games everywhere. In my opinion, our time could have been better spent visiting cultural sites in these countries. These soccer games take hours and hours of transportation, plus actual pre-game and game time.
How i survive
I do count myself lucky in some ways. At least soccer doesn’t last very long. Now, since my brother is older, he has 45-minute halves, but for my youngest brother, it’s still 35-minute halves. And, thankfully, there’s minimal extra time. If they played a sport like football, I’d be stuck watching for hours, or if it were a more boring sport, it would be much harder to sit through.
I just want to demonstrate how siblings, especially the eldest who can drive, are affected by the dedication of their younger siblings’ activities. And I have, as the eldest, made sacrifices for my brothers. Am I saying I sacrifice more than my parents do? Absolutely not. They are angels for shuttling my brothers around everywhere. But I’m suggesting it wasn’t easy for me either, and I also had to give things up so that my brothers could pursue their sport.
The image illustrated above, pictures my family and I at an Inter Milan game in Italy. On a vacation where we spent hours watching soccer. However, I did have fun.
Finally, kudos to my brothers, William and Oliver Jones, for without them, I would not be able to speak on this topic today. And just know that if you are also an older sibling with younger sporty siblings, you are not alone in your experience.