WHAT IT'S LIKE WATCHING SPORTS WITH PARENTS

Being a sports fan, watching my favourite team or country play gets me thrilled and excited. The highly anticipated games are what we sports fans live for and we enjoy the tense encounters with exhilarated minds, nervy temperaments and full concentrations. We watch the games alone or with friends and are at times joined by seasonal supporters: our parents.  

Although their rare support and passion for sports is often mesmerizing, they can also be deemed as hysterical, entertaining and annoying. They will make their presence felt and will make hilarious comments and mistaken judgments that will leave your jaws dropped. 

Here's what you can expect your parent(s) to turn into while watching sports:

The commentator:
Commentating throughout the length of the game is a must. They will be vociferous and will voice their approvals and disapprovals with every move the players make. Often they scream 'six' every time a batsman hits a ball into the air or 'goal' every time a footballer takes a shot. Pronunciation of the lengthy names of players/managers may also give you a good laugh. I recall a friend saying his mom referred to Joachim Löw as 'Joshim'. 

The one who takes wrong judgments to the next level:
Complying with rules is not a parent's best strength. Personal opinions will take centre stage. It is highly likely that you will hear your mom cry 'out!' even when the ball drops into the ground before being taken by the fielder or you may witness your dad demanding a penalty despite the foul being made way outside the penalty box. Oh, and also in football, the expectations of red cards being given out is way too high.

The master tactician: 
Setting out tactical plans and strategies for every event is also in their blood. In football, when a free kick or any other set piece is about to be taken, you may hear ridiculous ideas like 'place all 10 other players next to the goal keeper to prevent a goal' or in cricket 'keep all the fielders in the boundary line to stop the six'. Other ludicrous schemes are also proposed. 

The one who goes on a nostalgia trip:
You may notice that your parents have not forgotten about players from their generation, such that they may expect them to keep on playing forever. Questions like "Where is Maradona? Why is he not playing? Is that his son Messi?" when Argentina plays are far too common from moms and dads.

Supporter of the wrong team:
This is particularly common in football especially when the supporting team dons the away kit. Let's say your parent supports England who wears white, and they play Germany who also wears white. As Germany is the home team, England is resorted to wearing the red away kit. This stirs up a confusion which may lead to your parent cheering and supporting the wrong team and celebrating their goals. 

This article is definitely not pointed towards those parents who are regular viewers of sports rather it's about the seasonal viewers of the games who try to blend in with sport fanatics and make a laughing stock out of themselves. Nevertheless, watching sports with parents will most likely entertain you and make you fall off a chair laughing.