Team moms are MVPs of every youth, high school, club and travel team

Team moms are the unsung heroines in youth sports.

They do the peripheral work a coach has no time for.  They assist in ways few people would undertake.  And they do it all with a smile and a hug for the young athletes they so dutifully and lovingly serve.

The Ultimate Doers

Team moms work tirelessly.  Their to-do lists are endless.  And when it comes down to it, you can always count on this fact: team moms are the ultimate doers.  Watching from the perimeter is not in their DNA.  Showing up late, or blowing off their duties?  Not a chance.  If there is a dependable person in the crowd, it is the team mom.  There is never any doubt about that.  From the get-go, it is indeed go, go, go until the job of taking care of a team’s needs are finished. Little rest, few breaks, constantly in motion – that is the nature of what it takes to be a true team mom.

Cheerleaders Extraordinaire

Watch a team.  In a matter of a few minutes, the team mom will stand out.  She’s the one nearest the team, many times keeping the scorebook or prodding the athletes to keep working hard and to do their best.  When one of the players gives an all-out effort, she applauds the loudest and shouts encouraging words.  There is never a moment of doubt, disappointment or anger.  No, it comes with the territory that the team mom always has her team’s back.

Empathetic Ears

Family dynamics can be fickle.  That is why so many young athletes grow so close to their team mom.  They can’t confide in their own parents.  The team mom is a different story.  She is more listener than critic, more empathetic than sympathetic.  The kids know they can say what they need to say when they need to say it without fear of reprisals or condemnation.  She is someone whose judgment is always reserved, but whose advice is forever valued.

Problem Fixers

The coach forgot to get hotel reservations.  Another mom’s other kid is sick, so she didn’t have time to make sandwiches for the team meal.  A player’s uniform tears at the seam.  An athlete didn’t bring money for an after-game burger.  Guess who fixes the problem?  Yep, the team mom.  She seems continually prepared, eternally generous and exceptionally creative.

Give Them Their Due

A pat on the back, a phone call of gratitude, a text of appreciation or a gift of love.   All these are what keep team moms going and doing for their teams.  But do you know what they desire more than anything?  A helping hand when she needs one and a hug to make it all worthwhile.  So, the next time you go to a game, ask someone to point out the team mom.  Walk up and tell her that you know how much she gives to her team.  Then offer to give her something back – a hug.  Then watch her smile.

Note:  National Scouting Report is the oldest and largest on-the-ground high school scouting organization in the world.