Silent Sunday in Manalapan squeezes sound out of soccer matches

To the Manalapan Soccer Club: Thank you so much for the magical time I and hundreds of other soccer parents had last week at the park as a direct result of "Silent Sunday." I had the distinct feeling I was literally transported to another time and place — like Communist China or Cuba. In fact, I felt just like I was at the Billy Joel concert in the old Soviet Union right before the iron curtain fell, when the audience enjoyed the performance but were not allowed to express any appreciation for what they were experiencing.

For those who missed this wonderful event, allow me to fill you in. Last week the Manalapan Soccer Club decided on its own to suspend the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution for 24 hours, urging all parents not to cheer, applaud or basically give any encouragement or any directions to their children from the sidelines.

As if this were not bad enough, the coaches were also told not to give the kids any instruction, thereby rendering the entire reason for having an instructional soccer league obsolete.

Oh, the joy we parents felt, looking at the confused little faces as they scored their goals but heard no applause or words of encouragement from the sidelines. I, myself, will never forget the look on all the parents’ faces as they gazed around tentatively as if they were criminals when they mistakenly clapped, shouted or cheered for their children as they played the game, which they had waited all week long to see.

I fully understand the intent of the idea of "Silent Sunday." It did indeed stop dead in its tracks any heated arguments or fights between parents, coaches and referees. It also may have eliminated unwanted "pressure" from parents or coaches, allowing the kids to play a "pure" game.

But at what cost? For every parent who may have argued too loudly with a referee or yelled at a coach for a bad decision, there were hundreds of others who found that every single element of enjoyment of watching their kids play soccer was squeezed away that morning.

Larry Roth

Manalapan