Coach calls police on parents at junior varsity soccer match for allegedly yelling racist comments: 'Speak English,' 'This is America'
Police were called on parents attending a boys’ junior varsity soccer match in Hopewell Township, N.J., last week after the parents allegedly made racist comments to Hispanic players.
According to NJ.com, parents shouted, “Speak English,” and “This is America” during a game between Trenton Central High School and Hopewell Valley High School. The majority of students in the Trenton school district reportedly are Hispanic, while the majority of Hopewell students are reportedly white.
The United States, a melting pot of many immigrants, has no official language, which is a surprise to many. According to Wayne Wright, a professor of language and literacy at Purdue University, that was a deliberate choice made by the Founding Fathers. “[They] didn’t want to offend their fellow Americans who helped fight for independence” by declaring English the official language of the country, he told CNN.
The parents at the game were so out of control that the Trenton coach alerted the referees and called the police.
Referees told the parents to stop, according to school and police officials. The second half the game went on without incident.
According to Police Chief Lance Maloney and the superintendent of Hopewell Valley, Thomas Smith, the parents were initially enraged when a Trenton player allegedly used a Spanish curse word against a referee. Instead of telling the young student not to curse, however, the Hopewell parents allegedly yelled at him to speak English.
Saying a swear word to a referee is a foul, and the player can receive a yellow card. If a player receives two yellow cards in one game, it counts as a red card, and he is forced to leave the field immediately. In 2010, the New York Times reported on World Cup referees brushing up on their knowledge of languages to ensure that players did not get away with cursing.
However, in this case, the referee did not report hearing any inappropriate comments from the players — or the parents. After the Trenton coach informed the ref of the parents’ comments, the parents were warned about their behavior.
Superintendent Smith and the principal of Hopewell Valley went to Trenton later in the week to inform the school district and athletic officials that the parents’ comments do not “reflect our community.”
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