An Annoying Bird Chattering in My Ear

There was an annoying sound in my ear but it was a parent not a bird. Last week, I attended the first round of a girls high school state tournament. I arrived at the game a few minutes into the first quarter and looked around for a place to sit. I saw an empty spot near the local sports videographers and thought that would be a nice, neutral place for me to sit. I wanted to support girls athletics in general more than one particular team, although I found myself rooting for the home team. It was quickly apparent that the home team was better than the visiting team. I happened to be seated near some parents from the visitor's team. There was a group of four or five, led loudly by one woman, who disagreed with the referees, cheered on their team when they fouled the other players, and were basically poor sports all around. At one point, I wanted to tell this woman that she should learn the rules of the game. She knew enough to argue the referees' calls but not enough to see the subtleties of why the calls were made or not made. I thought the referees did a decent job and were fair to both teams. The players and coaches of both teams were respectful and the parents of the winning team were also respectful. They cheered their team on but did not heckle the other team or referees. I don't know why parents act this way. The players were doing their best but were outmatched. I know that from being in the coach's shoes that loud parents in the stands actually are more of a distraction to the players on the court, and yes, even an embarrassment.