Old Soccer Guy has some thoughts up on why some soccer parents act the way they do. I think he’s definitely hit on a few of the more common ones, though I think there are dozens, if not hundreds, of other reasons out there too:

there is an abundance of moms who had some opportunities but did [ed: not?] work hard enough for them. And they are just now figuring that out. Those are the scary moms. For whatever reasons — usually cultural circumstances that involve their own parents — they bowed to the social stigma surrounding girls and sports in their era. They may have been a tremendous athlete, but didn’t pursue it because girls didn’t do that.

Listen to Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly for a bit and they will use the same phrase — “No one ever told me I couldn’t do something because I was a girl.” That’s the important message, not “Don’t make the same mistake I made, we paid for that personal trainer so you need to work harder.”

His section on Soccer Dads is even more fun. Be sure to read the whole thing.

I’ve found some of the more intense soccer parents are actually those that played soccer in high school and college. Yet Soccer Mom, well known to be an, er, overly enthusiast cheerleader on the sidelines, played no sports at all and says she never aspired to when she was younger (except for cheerleading). Soccer sidelines are a cornucopia of personalities! What are some of the more unique soccer parent personalities you have encountered. Why do you think they are the way they are? Armchair psychologists unite!