Our coach was a friend and would usually ask me to ref one half of the game. One dad from each team took one half. Mostly just keeping track of time and calling corner kicks or goal kicks. I'd already reffed for this other coach once and he was horrible, so I went for a walk at halftime hoping my coach would ask someone else. He tracked me down and said nobody else would, but that he would ref if I coached the second half. I said I'd just ref. and he can keep coaching. How bad can it be?

Well, the second half starts, and the other coach starts right up. And this time a bunch of the parents are chirping too. Most surprising to me was the woman in a wheelchair. I don't know why that surprised me, I guess I just assumed someone in a wheelchair would have a bigger perspective on life than to have a rec-league game for 8 year olds mean so much. I just say, I'll try my best. They keep up the complaining and there I am arguing with the coach while the kids just call their own out of bounds and throw ins. We look over at the throw in and it's my son who just quickly throws it it without pulling the ball completely above his head. The coach then starts yelling at my son about how to properly throw a ball in, and I just snap and get as possibly close to the man without touching. We were like two South American men having an animated discussion with an inch between our faces. I finally take the whistle off and hand it to him and say you're going to have to take care of the reffing.

After the game as the kids are doing the high five line, he gets in our coaches face and starts arguing. He just won't shut up. Our coach is just like "yeah, uhuh, yeah, ok" and the other coach is going on and on. Finally one of the league officials that was at the other field comes over to talk to the other coach who then starts yelling and arguing with the official. We then have to go back to the kids on our side as I apologize to them for how the adults acted in front of them and told them how sorry I was they had to see me acting like that.