Portsmouth police were called after a woman said an ongoing feud at youth football practices and games had escalated into harassment and threats.
According to the police report, the woman said she had been harassed at her son’s ball practice and through messages.
Police spoke with her husband, who said he and another man had been having ongoing problems at youth football games and practices.
The man told officers the other man had challenged him to fight several times. He said he had agreed that, if anything happened, it should be away from the children.
But the dispute reportedly did not stop there.
The man said the other person had recently started approaching his wife and calling her names.
The woman told police that multiple family members connected to the dispute surrounded her van at practice and called her names.
She also said she later received messages threatening to “smack” her.
The couple told police they wanted the situation documented in case things got worse.
They also said they planned to look into getting a civil protection order.
Police advised them to call if the situation at the ball field appeared to be escalating.
No arrest was listed in the information provided.
Youth sports can get heated, but once adults are challenging each other to fights, surrounding vehicles, and sending threats, it stops being about football.
The kids are supposed to be the ones playing the game.