Basketball

So I love basketball. I love to watch it and I absolutely love to play it. And even though I am way out of practice and doubt I would be able to run up and down the court very much, I love it and miss it, and wish that I could play even though I am pregnant (but some people just play to rough and intense, and I don't want to take any chances).

So last night the kids and I went and watched Steve play with the Ward team in the Stake tournament. Now I love watching Steve play. He is a great player, and he always plays so hard. I love to yell his name out to cheer him on, and watch him get embarrassed (which if you know him, he doesn't get embarrassed easily). But the one downside to basketball is stupid refs. I can't stand for a ref to call a game and call every little thing, and at the same time not know all the rules of the game. It frustrates me as a fan, and even more as a player. So last night at Steve's game there was a ref who fits this description. He didn't know what it meant to charge or how to call any offensive fouls. Now usually it is one sided, but this guy just screwed up calls for both teams....it was ridiculous. And as I was yelling and screaming what an idiot with all the other wives, I started thinking...People were watching me, including the stake presidency & members in our ward & the youth, and especially my children. And I was wondering what kind of example was I setting by going crazy on some guy that as far as we know was doing his best (even though me and everyone else in the gym thought that was a sad effort). And I realized it was church ball, and I was sitting by a nonmember who just moved into our ward(her husband is a member) and I realized, this shouldn't be the image she or anyone else should get from church ball. The purpose of it is to build unity, get exercise, and be a missionary tool. So the rest of the game I bit my tongue as much as I could (except for one more wrong call on our team, and one for theirs) and tried to remember that I needed to set the example. So next time I go on to cheer on our team, I am going to try and control my frustrations and only keep them to myself. Wish me good luck, because anyone who has been at a game with me, knows it will take everything to keep my mouth shut. :)