From Anti-Soccer Kid to Pro-Soccer Mom
June 11th, 2010 by Amy, Influencer Marketing, Sunnyvale office
It turns out you don’t have to drive a minivan across town at 7a.m. on a Saturday morning to be a soccer mom. You can simply have an 18-month old who chases his big brother around the front lawn while dribbling a shiny ball, and counted “soccer” and “goal!” as two of his first words. Or a 4-year old who insists on wearing shin guards, soccer shorts and the Sweden jersey his grandparents bought him as a souvenir to every single “game” where he doesn’t even make contact with the ball. But that smile and enthusiasm he has out there on the field, those are what make him a dedicated soccer kid. And me a proud soccer mom.
I never played soccer as a kid—and honestly, never really cared for the sport until my kids fell in love with it. Now I play it every day (yes, we even play in the garage when it’s raining), and I love the passion my boys show out “on the field”. We laugh, we get great exercise and I can see that we’re all showing signs of improvement.
And today, as the World Cup begins, I find myself surprisingly excited to share in this experience with my kids. No doubt it’s thanks in part to the fact that I work at Yahoo!. People around here have been buzzing for months about our World Cup Fan Facebook page, our fun online Penalty Shootout game (for which Yahoo! is donating $1 per goal scored today to (RED)™, up to $100,000) and even the Yahoo! Toolbar with World Cup coverage. And that’s just scratching the surface. But as a parent, there’s so much that gets me energized about this event.
I love that I can use soccer—something my kids are truly passionate about—to introduce them to South Africa, along with other countries and cultures around the world. I love that I can show them the passion, dedication and healthy sense of competition these athletes bring to the game. I love that we’ll have the opportunity to cheer on our team, celebrate victory and maybe even learn how to gracefully accept defeat (not my strong suit, but I’ll certainly try to teach my kids that lesson!).
Yes, the World Cup is about so much more than a few soccer games to me. And I hope it will be a big win for my family too.
June 11th, 2010 by Amy, Influencer Marketing, Sunnyvale office
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