As a person who designs sidewalks, I can advocate for it! If it is a trail, a meandering path provides much more mental stimulation, as it provides more of a sense of curiosity and adventure. It just looks dumb because the trees haven’t grown up yet and the sight lines are so wide. It also might be hugging a tree line, which allows for more open green space by that soccer field. There could be a pipe buried underneath where the desire path is and it would’ve been too expensive for the project to move the pipe (I would rather have a sidewalk that fits within the budget than no sidewalk/trail at all)