Friday Evenings

Shawn is on an men's Friday night soccer team. The games are usually 9:50 or later. I've attended a midnight game.

The thing about having a late night game is the beer...and the fans.

I guess I should mention that this team plays in the hood. He plays at two different indoor arenas. This one...is scary. I am not being mean in any way when I say I am a minority when I'm there. I have noticed over the last few months though that many of the people in the stands aren't there to watch a team, it's just where they go on Friday evenings. They make a meal from the snack bar, buy lots of beer from there, and just hang out. Even at the midnight game there's quite a crowd, children also. Young children. I've sat by children who were screaming from what I'm assuming is tiredness. I've seen sleeping children shaken awake to leave.

But the thing that bothers me the most??

The stragglers.

Last week Shawn played on Field #1. I hate Field #1. It's basically the walkway to get to the other two fields. The stands are pushed back against the wall and people walk in front to get to Field #2. The stands were filled when I got there so I took a seat at the bottom and patiently waited until the previous fans left so I could move up. Shawn is goalie and the only way to see him when he's on the opposite end is to be on the top row. The game started and no one moved. The team joined their fans and my view decreased. The players didn't exactly sit though. Basically they stood in front of me to have their after party. When the case of beer showed up it got worse. They were in no hurry to leave. The children slowly left to go somewhere else to play so I was able to move up a little bit but this still happened a lot.
I didn't think to snap the picture when there were 7 of them. But this guy never sat down once. He stood there, blocking my view, the entire game. The entire game. I got to the point where I just stood up. I am always afraid to say anything. I value my life a little tiny bit. Most of these people are pretty rough. So I just sat there getting madder and madder and sick to my stomach. That happens to me when I'm nervous or mad. Plus it was a pretty intense game. With Shawn as goalie I'm usually sick to my stomach anyway. We left after Shawn's game and the crowd in the stands was still going strong. I needed some fresh air and possibly a stiff drink.

We'd won, but I still was fuming.

Oh, and the red sign to the right of the blockade?

"DO NOT STAND IN FRONT OF GLASS"

Ugh.

It's Friday again. Wish me luck.