Playing on a team is one of the most amazing things that can happen to someone, especially playing on a team for your high school. Everyone spends six out of the seven days together no matter what. However, that seventh day many times, is still spent with someone on the team. We spend at least two, sometimes up to three hours at practice together. Being together all the time seems to force us to be close. I have met some of my closet friends because of soccer. Ideally, we would all be completely kind to each other. However, this is not always the case.

In a perfect world, playing on a team would mean complete cooperation. Everyone would get along, and that would be that. Players would never bad mouth each other. That would be unheard of. Whenever someone on the team made a mistake, there would not be 10 other girls on the field yelling at them for something they already know they did wrong. Instead, there would be constant encouragement. “Hey that’s okay, keep working!” or “Don’t worry about it, you’ll get it next time!” would be constant phrases heard on the field. We would all be happy with each other. There would be no uncomfortable tension because two girls got into a fight about something not soccer related. However, that would all be in a perfect world. Sadly, that is not the reality.

I don’t want this to sound like I’m whining about soccer. I honestly love the sport. I have been playing since I was five years old, so I really know nothing else but soccer. I never did anything else besides it. Many girls did dance while they were younger, but I never did. Soccer was and still is my one true passion. Like I said, I do not want this to sound like I’m whining or complaining or anything like that. Anything said is completely true of girls’ soccer, and very likely many other sports as well.

In reality, not everyone gets along. At all. Girls will be girls which of course will then lead to cattiness. Standing on the sidelines, all you hear is complaining. Or, in lack of better words, girls b****ing. Everyone is whining about someone or something. If someone on the team makes one mistake during a game or practice, it is clearly because they are awful at soccer and should no longer be playing. Not because they are just having an off day, or maybe just because they made one wrong decision. Nope. It’s because they are awful and do not deserve to be on the team. The sidelines during games can be a cruel, cruel place to be. Especially when the “subs” go in., if they are lucky enough to. These are the players who do not start, but still made the team. However, they are just not good enough for the starters. While the starters are relaxing on the sideline for a little bit, they many times yell at the girls who were just put in. I would understand it if were encouraging, but more often it is not. It is hard to please the starters because they are, of course, starting. Which means the coach thinks they are better than you. Which then leads to even more drama.

Jealousy is very common in sports. The people who are not starters are typically always jealous of those starting in front of them. It is just how it works. However, in soccer, this drama is taken to a whole new level. I can say from first-hand experience, from any time I have been on the bench that many girls will be complaining about the people playing. Girls wonder why they were subbed out of the game. In any case, this leads to even more girls b****ing on the sideline. More b****ing about “why is she starting over me?” or “she is awful, why is she even playing in the game right now?” are typical phrases. The jealousy can get so crazy that the girl who is sitting on the bench only yells at that one specific girl. All the anger that girl feels towards not starting in a game is directed at one specific person. That is the easiest way for any soccer player to show pain on the field. To simply blame anything or everything on someone else.

Reading this is probably a little confusing. If I think soccer can be this dramatic, why am I still playing? Honestly, I do just because I love it. Of course girls will be catty, but when are they not? Girls have and always will be mean to each other, and being on a team is not going to change that. There are so many benefits playing soccer. For one, I have met some of my closet friends because of soccer and I would not change that for the world. Another thing is that many of the girls on the team that I have met, I would have never talked to any time otherwise. All sports have its stereotypes of course and one I have heard for soccer is that they are “s***s.” However, most of the girls that I have met that would possibly fall into that category are some of the sweetest people I have met. I have definitely learned to not judge a book by its cover! Soccer has really taught me so much, and I learn more and more from it each day. I have learned how to be a part of a team. Although we may not get along all of the time, there are the times when we are able to all just be together without worrying about the cattiness getting to us. And, of course I will complain about soccer. I can say that from being a part of it, I feel like some of the most complaining about practice comes from girls’ soccer players. We all know that we love it, and that’s why we continue to play. Soccer has been one of the best things to ever happen to me and I’m so glad I never did any “dance” class of some sort. Now, I have the pleasure of saying that I have played soccer my entire life, though I have not tried anything else. Some may think that is weird, but that is completely okay with me.