The Greatest Title I’ve Ever Earned: Sports Dad

Father’s Day has a way of making you slow down and take stock — not of what you’ve built professionally, not of the goals you’ve hit or the miles you’ve logged at work, but of the things that actually matter most. For me, that’s simple: I’m a dad. And more specifically, I’m a sports dad. It is, without question, the greatest role of my life.

My daughter Eloise is 18. My son Owen is 16. And together, with my incredible wife Kathryn beside me every step of the way, we have lived one of the most rewarding journeys I could have ever imagined — the youth sports journey.

Eloise: Grit, Grace, and the Girl on the Bench

Eloise earned the captaincy of her varsity lacrosse team. As her dad, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t tear up a little when I heard the news. Captain. It wasn’t just a title — it was her teammates and coaches recognizing everything we already knew about her: her leadership, her heart, her commitment to the people around her.

Then came the ACL injury.

Any sports parent knows that phone call, that moment on the sideline when everything stops. For Eloise, it wasn’t just about the physical recovery — it was about watching a season she had worked so hard for slip away from her in an instant.

But here’s what made me most proud, and I mean most proud — more than any goal she’s ever scored, any award she’s ever won: Eloise chose to show up every single game and be the loudest, most positive voice on that bench. She cheered. She coached. She lifted her teammates. She was injured, she was hurting, and she was still the captain — in every way that actually counts.

That’s the kind of character that youth sports can build, and that’s the kind of young woman she’s become. I couldn’t be more in awe of her.

Owen: The Grind, the Dream, and the Conference Championship

Owen is on a mission. At 16, he has set his sights on playing college baseball, and he pursues that goal with a discipline and drive that honestly humbles me. He wakes up early. He puts in the extra reps. He doesn’t need to be pushed — he pulls the rest of us along with him.

There’s something extraordinary about watching your child find something they love deeply enough to suffer for. Owen grinds. He perseveres through the rough patches, the slumps, the setbacks that are inevitable in a sport as demanding as baseball. And he keeps coming back. Every time.

But Owen doesn’t just play baseball. He also suits up for varsity basketball, and this past season, I got to sit in those stands and watch his team win the conference championship. I’ll remember that moment for the rest of my life — not just the celebration, but the look on his face. That’s what we do all of this for.

What Youth Inc. Has Always Known

At Youth Inc., we talk about what sports can do for young people. We talk about confidence, resilience, teamwork, leadership, and purpose. I’ve watched those values come to life in my own home, and it has deepened my belief in this work more than anything else could.

Eloise and Owen are both great students, great kids, and great people. Do sports get all the credit? Of course not. But those long drives to tournaments, those early Saturday mornings, those moments of defeat and triumph — they shaped something real in them.

A Thank You That Doesn’t Feel Big Enough

None of this happens without Kathryn. My wife has been the co-pilot, the logistics mastermind, the emotional anchor, and the loudest fan in the stands. Being a sports parent is a team sport in itself, and I am so grateful to be on her team.

To Eloise and Owen: being your dad is the privilege of my life. You have given me more joy, more pride, and more love than I ever knew was possible. Every mile traveled, every game attended, every practice watched — I would do it all a thousand times over.

This Father’s Day, I’m celebrating from the only place I ever wanted to be: the sideline, the stands, and wherever you need me next.

Happy Father’s Day to every sports dad out there doing the same.