• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Header Logo
  • About Us
  • Podcast
  • Blog
    • All Articles
    • A Healthy Athlete
    • Coaching and Team Culture
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports Parenting
    • High Performance
    • Mindset and Mental Health
    • Girls Sports
    • Ask Dr. Sam
  • Inspiration & Humor
  • Videos
  • Join the Community
Facebook Instagram Twitter youtube pinterest

As seen in

Yes, We Coaches Have Favorites

  • 62shares
  • 62
  • 0

Yes, We Coaches Have Favorites

By Kate Baker

Yes, we (coaches) have favorites. Every season, every team, every school—there are always favorites.

Some coaches have them for the wrong reasons: politics, money, family ties, or because it’s a popularity contest.

When Will Parents Start Standing Up For Coaches 

But my favorites? They’re the hard workers.

The ones who want to be there.

The kids who come in ready to play, ready to learn, ready to grow. The ones who are willing to work, to lead, and to inspire their teammates. The ones who mess up but do it aggressively and who support others intentionally. The players who know how to help a teammate shine, even when it’s not their turn. The ones who play with grit, tenacity, and love for the game.

20 Powerful Insights For Parents of Youth Athletes

These are the kids we remember years later. We tell stories about them to younger players. We keep up with them on social media. Their parents run into us at the store and hug us with gratitude. 

That’s the part everyone sees.

What people don’t see is the 12-year career I’ve poured myself into—the growing pains I’ve gone through to become the best coach I can be. They don’t see me studying psychology to understand the mental side of the game better, learning how to communicate with each player as an individual. They don’t see me putting in the time to figure out what each athlete needs to succeed, to feel supported, and to be challenged.

They don’t see the late nights, weekends, holidays, and travel. Or that I’m often juggling multiple jobs just to make ends meet, all while raising a family and giving everything I’ve got to the athletes I coach. This job doesn’t always come with many thanks, but I show up anyway because I love what I do.

What do they see?

They see that I have “favorites.”

And you know what? You’re damn right; I do.

Why Coaches Hate Over-Involved Parents

My favorites are the ones who match my energy. It’s not about their personality; it’s about their desire to be there, to give their all. I want to coach kids who want to be all in just as much as I am. I want players who buy in, who give their best effort, no matter their role.

We want the kids who don’t roll their eyes when asked to try something new.

The ones who don’t whisper in the back during a drill that’s being explained for the 13th time because they weren’t paying attention the first 12.

We want athletes who give more to the program than they take and who hold themselves accountable both on and off the court.

(And yes, it helps when parents don’t become keyboard warriors when a lineup change happens. Just support your child as they learn to communicate with us themselves.)

So yes, we have favorites. 

Primary Sidebar

  • How to Parent Through Youth Sports with One Powerful Phrase: “I Love to Watch You Play”
  • To The Parents Watching Their Last Game
  • ACL Injuries in Female Athletes: Finally, Someone’s Paying Attention
  • College Club Sports: The Best-Kept Secret in Youth Sports
  • When the Joy Fades: How to Help Your Child Through Sports Burnout
  • From Zero Stars to No. 1: What Cam Ward’s Story Teaches Every Youth Sports Family

Categories

  • A Healthy Athlete
  • Sports Parenting
  • Coaching and Team Culture
  • High Performance
  • Lifestyle
  • Mindset

Footer

WHAT'S TRENDING IN YOUTH SPORTS?
Asia Mape Video
follow us
facebook instagram twitter youtube pinterest

We Believe In The Power Of Sports

Injuries in young athletes have soared. Costs to compete have skyrocketed. Kids are quitting in record numbers. But we believe strongly in youth sports, and the many ways it improves our childrens’ lives.

We are here to help parents regain balance and sanity, and to help restore the joy, accomplishment, and core values derived from sports.

Begin your journey today.

 

More About Us

Join the Community

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for the latest news, articles, inspiration, stats, funny videos, tips and everything you need if you are a parent or coach in youth sports, delivered right to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

About the founder

According to a survey conducted over 30 years by two coaches and athletic administrators about what young athletes want to hear most from their parents after a sporting event, it turns out it is: “I love to watch you play.”

Become a Contributor

Advertising/Media

Contact

Privacy Policy/Amazon Affiliate Notification

Copyright 2025 © I Love To Watch You Play. All rights reserved. | Accessibility Feedback | Developed by Tiny Frog Technologies

Join Our Community

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for the latest news, articles, inspiration, stats, funny videos, tips and everything you need if you are a parent or coach in youth sports, delivered right to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign up for our newsletter
  • Sign up for our weekly newsletter for the latest news, articles, inspiration, stats, funny videos, tips and everything you need if you are a parent or coach in youth sports delivered right to your inbox!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.