Funny Kids Sports Stories: What Did You Say?

If you are bilingual, this story might probably strike a familiar chord.

My children are fluent in Italian, thanks to my parents who spent a great deal of time teaching them the language. When they hear Italian, their mind immediately processes it the correct way, no translation takes place.

As with most years since 1993, my parents came to visit from Italy in the Spring of 2002. That Spring, my son, then seven years old, was part of a local YMCA soccer team. As most of you know, soccer is to Italy as football is to the U.S.A.

The day was beautiful. It was sunny, but not too hot. A nice breeze was keeping the spectators cool as they eagerly watched the game playing in the field.

It is hard to recall if the viewers or the kids were the most excited about the match. It is highly possible that both were feeding off each other's behavior. The more the crowd cheered the harder and with more enthusiasm the children played. The more intense the game was the louder the cheering became.

Each child was trying to get to the ball in order to score a goal.

My son was no different.

There were only a few minutes left to the end of the game. He focused on the ball, and followed it around until his opportunity to seize it came.

Veer to the left...now to the right...there it goes...an opening...the chance to steal the ball, kick it across the field, and score a goal...

"Go, go, go!" My parents were cheering, I was cheering, his sister was cheering...in Italian.

"Go, go, go!" Other spectators were cheering (in English), some to my son, and some to their own sons to encourage them to steal the ball.

All of the sudden, as if in slow motion, my son kept running and kicking the ball towards the goal; the other children slowed down and curiously looked at us, their focus on the ball now totally gone and directed towards us.

It was not until the goal was scored and the game was over that I realized what had happened...

My son had heard the cheering and it had registered to him to keep on going and score that goal. What the other children had heard was something totally puzzling to them...

You see, the cheer my parents and I were shouting in our native tongue was "dai, dai, dai!" pronounced "dah-ee, dah-ee, dah-ee" (a cheer of support that could be translated to "go, go, go!" or many other expressions of encouragement). What everyone else had heard was "die, die, die."

It was no wonder that those little players turned their heads in disbelief and slowed their game. Why on earth would anyone use that cheer? Did they not like soccer?

Needless to say, I went to the coach after the game and explained to him what happened, that he might then explain to the team and parents who had overheard us and reassure them that all was well.