Im honestly about to give up because trying to figure out which lens to buy for my Rebel T7 is giving me a massive headache. I just got the camera and it came with that standard 18-55 thing but it literally doesnt zoom in at all. I was looking online for a telephoto one because I want to take photos of my kids soccer games and maybe some birds in the backyard but I have no idea where to start and all the letters are making my head spin.

So I was thinking about getting this 75-300mm lens because it was super cheap on eBay but then I saw someone on a different site say it was the worst lens Canon ever made? I dont get it. My logic was that 300 is more than 250 so it should be better right? Like it would see further away? But then people keep mentioning something called STM and IS and I dont know if I need those or if they are just extra stuff to make it more expensive.

I really only have like $175 to spend since I spent all my savings on the camera body itself. I live in a pretty rural area so I cant just go to a store and try them out I have to order it and I dont want to waste my money on the wrong thing. Is there something that actually works for a beginner that wont break the bank? I just want my son to not look like a tiny blur on the field...