I just rewatched *Rookie of the Year* from 1993 and at the beginning there's a scene where the lead kid Henry plays a Little League game. He runs into his mom on the way, but she doesn't attend the game and is home cooking dinner when Henry returns. Mind you, she's a huge baseball fan.

So it got me thinking, did your parents attend your sporting events with any regularity? Or were you just dropped off and your parents bailed or made you get rides with a teammate. I only played kid league soccer for 2 years and it was definitely a dump-and-run or get-a-ride situation. I don't recall seeing many parents at the games and it seemed pretty normal. My wife also played soccer and lettered in track in high school and in college and her parents never attended anything. She even had a major injury and her dad wouldn't find the time to travel the 1 hour to check on her until 2 weeks later when her leg had gone black (she got hit in the knee with the wire from an errant hammer and it fucked her knee up for life).

My eldest only played a year of HS football and I attended all of his games, but my wife has 3 boys who played baseball, hockey, and lacrosse and she practically lived at their games. She once drove 13 hours roundtrip in one day to see an away game for her eldest when he was in college. We've been together for 10 years and I've probably seen about 200+ games at this point and we NEVER miss a game (the younger two are finally done but the eldest plays professional lacrosse now). The thing is, all the other parents were at all these games, too, so it seems at some point a shift happened. It's weird, but I never thought twice about my parents not being at my games, but it wouldn't feel right to miss the kids' games.

So what was your experience with your parents attending your sporting events?

By the way, *Rookie of the Year* is a great glimpse into the early 90s. Kids taking the L on their own, adults bullying kids, the Cubs still lovable losers, and a coherent Gary Busey.