A PARENT’S JOURNEY THROUGH YOUTH SPORTS:
Age 5: “He’s got a cannon.”
Age 6: “He’s the fastest kid out there. Coach said so.”
Age 7: “Rec ball isn’t challenging him anymore.”
Age 8: “We tried out for select. Obviously made it.”
Age 9: “$2,800 for the season. Plus uniforms. Plus tournaments. Plus hotels.”
Age 10: “Cooperstown is basically a family vacation, right?”
Age 11: “He needs a hitting guy. And a pitching guy. And probably a mental performance coach.”
Age 12: “I’m not a crazy sports parent. The OTHER parents are crazy.”
Age 13: “We changed schools. For academics. (And also baseball.)”
Age 14: “Showcases are a requirement at this age.”
Age 15: “Ya his ranking just ticked up. We’re cooking.”
Age 16: “He just needs to get seen by the right school.”
Age 17: “The D1 schools want him to walk on. He’ll earn a spot by sophomore year.”
Age 18: “Okay, D2 is actually really competitive.”
Age 19: “He’s redshirting. Strategic.”
Age 20: “He’s focusing on school now.”
Age 21: “You know what? He’s so much happier.”
Roughly 7% of high schoolers play in college.
About 1.5% of those get drafted.
Less than half of draftees ever play one day in the big leagues.
The odds of our kids going pro are somewhere between “struck by lightning” and “find a $100 in old shorts.”
I love youth sports (all my kids play a bunch of them) just keep a good perspective my friends. ✌️
Rick Pitino is right.
Every player’s hourglass runs out faster than they think.
The practices. The games. The grind.
One day… it’s all gone.
Cherish every rep. Every moment. Every opportunity.
Don’t waste your sand. ⏳
🪄TRICK PLAY THURSDAY🪄
Idalou (TX)
The Wildcats put all 5 skill position players to the field for this TB Push Motion Double Pass, hitting the Wheel of the Post-Wheel concept.
@c38w | @IdalouISD#txhsfb
The 10 Truths Parents Rarely See
1. Coaches lose sleep.
2. Decisions aren’t personal.
3. Playing time is complex.
4. Culture matters more than stats.
5. Accountability is care.
6. Coaches invest emotionally.
7. Development isn’t instant.
8. Hard feedback is intentional.
9. Wins don’t tell the whole story.
10. Coaches remember kids forever.
Perspective matters.
On poor teams, captains lead by popularity.
On great teams, captains lead by example.
They arrive early, stay late, train hard, & apply the same high standards off the field.
🚨 Nick Saban destroying the biggest athlete excuse:
“The illusion of choice.”
“These guys think they have this illusion of choice… like I can do whatever I want.”
Wrong.
You want to be elite?
It takes what it takes.
No half-assing basics.
No skipping the grind.
No “my way” BS.
Lock in on the process… or stay average.
Athletes & coaches — stop buying the illusion…