A video recently went viral in which a Black toddler and his parents appear to be kicked out of a youth soccer game. According to the child’s parents, the three-year-old was kicked out of a youth soccer league for being better than his older peers. Police and the soccer league have commented on the incident, which is drawing outrage online.
‘They called the police on a three-year-old’
The soccer incident was partially captured on video that has circulated widely across social media. In the first half of the viral clip, the young child, whose name is Nevada, can be seen dominating his peers during a soccer game at a park, easily outrunning and scoring against the other children as his dad, who is recording, cheers. The clip then cuts to an encounter between the young child’s parents and police, who inform them that their family has been asked to leave the park. “They called the police on a three-year-old, cause he’s too good,” Nevada’s dad says. “They called the police on a three-year-old cause he has the ball for too long and nobody else could get the ball.” Later, Nevada’s mom talks to a police officer, saying that they had never bothered the other parents. The caption accompanying one of the posts sharing the video on X identifies the incident as happening at an i9 Sports league soccer game in Winter Park, Florida, also adding that most of the other children in the game were one to two years older than Nevada. The caption says Nevada and his family were “trespassed” from the field by the soccer league.
Incident ‘traumatized’ young child
Journalist Philip Lewis later spoke to Nevada’s mother for HuffPost. She asked to be identified only by her first name, Martasia. She confirmed that her son, who she says began dribbling a soccer ball at 10 months old and has a significant social media following, was playing in a league with 5-year-olds when the other children’s parents became angry. “As soon as he started the game, they stopped the game,” she explained. “Other parents, the director, and some of the coaches got in a circle, and I knew they were talking about Nevada, trying to figure out how to let us know that he can’t play so the other kids could play.” Martasia recounted her interactions with the director who was present. “When I walked up on them talking about that, the director said that everybody is paying money, so everybody should play. They were trying to find a reason why he can’t play. Once I started speaking up for Nevada, they just called the police,” Martasia said. She explained that the experience “really traumatized Nevada.” She added, “He still wants to play soccer. He just doesn’t want to go back to that place.”
Police, soccer league comment on incident
Winter Park police confirmed that they had responded to a dispute between a league official and the parents of one of the players at the league soccer game, with the officers informing everyone involved that the issue was a civil matter. A spokesperson for the league said, “We are aware of concerns being shared regarding an incident at a local i9 Sports program, and we take them very seriously. The respectful treatment and well-being of every child and family matter deeply to us.” The statement added, “We have reached out to the family and have begun a review that includes speaking with those involved,” and the league declined to “speculate or share unverified information.” Martasia confirmed that her family had received a refund for the money they paid to the league. Nevertheless, she remains angry about the impact this incident has had on her son. “It’s heartbreaking because now Nevada’s saying he doesn’t wanna go over there. He’s scared that he did something wrong.”
Online reaction to the viral incident has been strong, with many people complimenting Nevada’s impressive soccer skills and criticizing the decision to involve the police in a dispute over playing time and the skills of children. While these reactions show significant support for Nevada and his family, his mother says the incident has shaken him, though he still wants to play.
The post ‘They Called The Police On A Three-Year-Old’: Family Says Toddler Was Kicked Out Of Youth Soccer League For Being Too Good appeared first on Blavity.