Anonymous wrote:Soccer parents? Does this surprise you? Idiots.

we are in fact idiots.

Who forgot to take out my kids earings

All fun and games until they rip their earings

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Made my DD wait until the offseason to get earrings in. Problem solved.

But many kids don’t have an off season, between travel, indoor clinics, etc.

So it’s high stakes to the “soccer is life” crowd. There’s a scholarship on the line here!

Lol, I see what you did there.

Why gotta be about the girls? How about boys?

Anonymous wrote:Made my DD wait until the offseason to get earrings in. Problem solved.

But many kids don’t have an off season, between travel, indoor clinics, etc.

So it’s high stakes to the “soccer is life” crowd. There’s a scholarship on the line here!

Made my DD wait until the offseason to get earrings in. Problem solved.

Even with studs, I can see how an earring could get caught on another player's jersey, long hair, fingernail, and ripped right out of the ear. Unlikely, but possible, even if taped over. Just take out the earrings.

So I'm a referee and I make no exceptions...No earrings or you don't play and the Laws don't allow tape over jewelry/earnings. (I can't believe one of the DCUM posters named "SoccerRef" allows a bandaid. He ruins it for referees who do administer the Laws correctly.) Anyway...if a player steps on the field when I'm reffing with earrings, I send them off to take care it.

I follow this referee forum (mostly English referees, but some US ones) and this topic just came up if anyone wants to read what other referees have to say about it. https://www.refchat.co.uk/threads/new-earrings-at-u12-girls.24455/

...but here is one of the most impactful posts...

"One of our elite assignors; a young woman, used to wear earrings when she refereed - after all, what could possibly happen🤪? She took a hard shot to the side of her head, driving the earring post up behind her mandible. Emergency surgery was necessary to remove it. She is now a zealot about earrings being worn anywhere on the pitch by anyone.

In the US, we are indemnified as officials assuming we've properly executed our duties. If we allow earrings and a kid has a similar thing happen, we're exposed to a liability lawsuit."

This also reminds me of the kids who have those string bracelets on and they tell me that they can't get it off. I tell them they can't play. Somehow they figure out how to take it off.

Anonymous wrote:

But all this said- we also had a girl play with a hard cast, which seems way more dangerous.

Was it wrapped in foam? If so, it is allowed. If not, you are absolutely correct.

Foam?

But all this said- we also had a girl play with a hard cast, which seems way more dangerous.

Was it wrapped in foam? If so, it is allowed. If not, you are absolutely correct.

Yup. It also happens in Alexandria, where my son referees. It's annoying. If there is not an adult mentor there, he generally lets it go, as he is not going to get into a fight with a grown adult man.

It’s a stupid rule because studs are not going to hurt anyone. And as someone whose kid plays year-round and also wanted earrings …and since you have to leave them in for months after they’re pierced…it sucks.

But then you’re leaving refs to decide exactly what a stud earring is and it’s easier to just say no earrings, since some truly would be dangerous. And there is absolutely no excuse to argue with refs about it. A girl on DDs team insists on taping over them and her parents support it- I’m glad it’s in an email now.

But all this said- we also had a girl play with a hard cast, which seems way more dangerous.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I got that email - I am not at all defending yelling at those young refs or any of this boorish behavior, but I do think that this rule seems kind of dumb if we're talking about something like piercing studs that are taped over. This is an age when a lot of girls are getting their ears pierced, are trying to work around back-to-back and overlapping sports schedules, and rec soccer is not exactly high contact.

Then challenge the rule with appropriate people, don’t challenge the ref who is paid to enforce the rule. Soccer dads are the worst.

Guess you have never met the soccer moms.

Wild how many of those moms be cheating on their husbands with their child’s coach

And this is why I had to sit through every game my daughter was a ref. Parents yelling at her during the games. Following her to the car. One parent did this and I went up to them and said, do you really think your kid wants to see the cops come. It was such a waste of my time for 4 years, but I had to keep my kid safe.

Because this is northern virginia

Why do some people feel they are special and entitled enough to be exception to rules