When I think of a sports mom, I envision a mom in a baseball cap, capris, Keds without socks, and an oversized baseball shirt. It doesn’t matter that my son has played one year of basketball, two years of soccer, one year of contact football, four years of t-ball, and is now starting his first year of machine-pitch baseball at the ripe old age of 7; I still hold this ideal image of a sports mom. Unfortunately, that ideal has never matched who I am as a sports mom. I am not who I see in my head. In fact, even when I take the stands on game days, or sit for hours at practices, I am rarely greeted with this form of a sports mom, primarily because this is the Hollywood version which is not based in reality.
The baseball cap. The capris. The Keds without socks. The oversized baseball shirt. These are all items that give the overall impression of what a sports mom should look like … but it doesn’t encompass the personalities of the moms themselves. Sports moms aren’t the clothing; they’re the force that makes their team great.
So, what DOES a sports mom look like?
The Team Mom
Every team needs a team mom. This is the mom who contacts the coach before the season starts, asking to take on this tireless role. This mom is on top of her game; she’s a natural born leader, and the go-to for any question another parent might have throughout the season. She knows everyone’s phone numbers and email addresses. She passes around the snacks list on the first day of practice and has organized roles {if the team needs various roles}. We might love her; we might hate her; but overall, we need moms like this on our team.
The Snacks Mom
While there are moms who are “oranges in a baggy with a side of Capri Sun thrown in a child’s direction” when it comes to snacks {Me. I’m talking about me.}, some moms live for their turn to be The Snacks Mom. They buy paper bags in team colors. They bust out the puff paint. They inscribe each individual bag with the child’s name and number. They put the team logo on the bag, but it can also be found on the individually wrapped, homemade treat that was lovingly placed inside. Beside the treat is child-sized Gatorade, along with an apple juice, and a nutritious, individual bag of peeled apple slices. This mom rocks the snack world — and probably every class party throughout the school year.
The All-Star Mom
She knows the sport; she lives for practices and games. This mom knows every single child’s name, and which parents go to which child. She’s not only going to holler tips to her child, but she’s going to holler tips to everyone else’s child too. What’s more, she’ll come up and mention how much a child’s stance, form, or technique has improved over the last two weeks. Her love of the game makes us love it a bit more each game too.
The “Best Kid” Mom
Not all of these roles hold positive attributes, but I love this mom at game time. Her kid is “the best,” and everyone is expected to understand that — especially the coach. She’s correcting the team positions and lineups so that her baby shines; if her child isn’t in the most valued position on the team, everyone feels her wrath. Why do I love this mom so much? Because that “best kid” is often the one who’s least interested in the game.
The Social Media Mom
In the rise of all things social media, this mom is grouping everyone together. She’s friended everyone on Facebook, or set up a private group for important information. She’s created an email thread, a text group, or put everyone on a group app like GroupMe. She’s keeping everyone connected throughout the season, which takes the pressure off of the rest of us. We feel more connected because of her.
The Social Butterfly Mom
Moms like this differ from the social media mom because technology is not paramount on her schedule. This is the mom who sits in the stands and chats with everyone. She discusses local politics, her kids’ schedules, the issues arising in the school district, and how much she loves {or hates} the coach. Although this mom seems more invested in talking than watching the sport, she knows this is her child’s greatest wish, so she makes the best of each practice and game by making new friends and meeting new people.
The Photographer Mom
This is a mom who not only owns a camera, but she knows how to take the sports shots that don’t look like blurry blobs of what might be a child running, dancing, leaping, or jumping. She takes pictures of not only her kid, but of everyone’s kid. She’s designated herself as the team photographer, mostly because she loves looking at pictures. She captures plays and movements that may have been missed due to blinking, and then she shares them with the team — which The Social Media Mom has made easier.
The Enthusiastic Mom
She yells, she cheers, she hoops, she hollers. She is at every game, with signs and t-shirts supporting her child and the team. Every play is applauded, even when the team is losing. She’ll give as much enthusiasm in shouting, “Way to go! That was a great play!” as she does in screaming, “Shake it off! Let’s get it next time! Go team!”
The Concessions Mom
This mom loves to work the concessions, and she often asks for this job well ahead of time. She may be in a field where sales is key, and she rocks it. She knows how to make change in her head, tell a few jokes, and get the latest gossip with efficiency. This is where other moms hang out while waiting for the game to start, which allows this mom to fulfill her team duties without having to work on the field. {This applies mostly to sports where every mom is expected to perform a job.}
The Prepared Mom
Did a child fall and start to bleed? Did another mom forget the bug spray? Were water bottles forgotten? Did a fellow dad forget a chair? Don’t worry — this mom is on her game. She’s packed and prepared for anything that may have been forgotten, and we’re all thankful for the band-aids and sunscreen.
The Teacher Mom
When the coaches are occupied and the kids are going nuts, this is a mom who steps in and redirects the tiny people. This is the mom who is used to rounding up twelve to thirty kids with ease, and has no problems speaking up when the need arises. Other parents might not feel like they can speak up or correct someone else’s kid, but this mom is or has been in the field of education, and her quick, “Hey, who thinks they should be kicking each other with cleats?” keeps twelve other moms from individually hollering at their respective littles. This mom is greatly appreciated, especially since the rest of us are tired, or have mommed-out.
Every sports mom is different, just as every mom is different. We all play our special part in unifying and supporting the team. Whether the tiny humans are in baseball, basketball, dance, football, gymnastics, karate, softball, soccer, swimming, or t-ball {just to list a few}, the various types of sports moms are the same. What’s more, the personality of the sports mom was derived from becoming the best status of all: the mom.
Which type or types of sports mom are you? Is there a different way you see yourself as a sports mom? What does it look like?
