My kids have become very familiar with the penalty box. I refuse to tolerate any high-sticking. I use hat tricks to entertain and occupy my darlings. I'm a very strict referee. I do not hang back while the players have a go at each other.
Basketball is another example of a sport whose play descriptions can be applied to parenting.
I cover the court from end to end all day long, slam dunking jelly-covered clothes into the laundry basket and passing the ball as soon as my husband walks in the door at the end of his day so I can have a time out. I've noticed something about viewing and describing parenting as a sport. I have found that this conversational style works well for chats with both men and women. Men seem delighted to be using a language they understand, and women who are also mamas appreciate the recognition of the effort it takes to do the job of parenting. Single or childless women seem interested in the sporting language, if only to get a different and descriptive point of view about what they may have to face in their future.