Competition

Out on the field today, we lost two players -- two of the young guys who score the goals for us -- with about 20 minutes left.  They had to go ref a game.

So were were one man down, playing with 10, but we were leading pretty handily.  So when the ball went out and our people were running to get it, I called out to them to walk, to use the clock to our advantage.  This did not endear me to the other team.  "Cmon, it's the last game of the season, we just want to play soccer."  Which was an entirely fair point.  Though they had been eating into our lead a little bit, and we didn't want them coming back all the way..

The main thing for me was, I am continually surprised to find out how competitive I am (Mary would flat out guffaw at that statement.  She thinks I am obviously ridiculously competitive).  I generally perceive myself as, well maybe a little competitive, but someone who is not obsessed with winning.  And yet I see myself on the soccer field at times instinctively calling out for strategies that occasionally shade over close to rules arbitrage.

Certainly it is made much worse by the presence of refs.  If it's just a pick-up game, I legitimately don't care, don't even try to keep score.  Though I do hate a lopsided game, no matter who's crushing whom.