What I Didn’t Understand About ‘I Love to Watch You Play’—Until My Daughter Quit

I thought I had it all figured out.

After playing Division 1 basketball and spending decades in sports journalism—watching thousands of games and interviewing countless coaches, athletes, and experts—I eventually shifted my focus. I founded I Love to Watch You Play to support parents navigating the complex, emotional world of youth sports. I thought I knew what kids needed—and how to help parents provide it.

Then my daughter Piper quit. [Read About it HERE]

She was a gifted athlete playing on a water polo Olympic Development team and had dreams of playing in college. But in 11th grade, she walked away from it all—not because she wasn’t good enough, but because she was exhausted. The joy was gone.

And that moment—watching her let go of something she had once loved and something I had built so much of my own identity around—taught me more than any expert interview ever could.

Since then, everything has shifted in my philosophy. Piper's two younger sisters are thriving in their sports—one playing Division 1 soccer, one committed to a top D1 beach volleyball program. But I’d be lying if I said I’m not still learning. Still evolving. Still unlearning things I thought were true.

That’s why I started I Love to Watch You Play; not to showcase perfection, but to offer perspective. Because whether your child is just starting out or chasing college dreams, what they need most is the same: support, perspective and a relationship that isn’t tied to performance.

It starts with one sentence:

I love to watch you play.

Simple words. But they carry a message too many kids are desperate to hear:

You are more than your results.

You are valued beyond the scoreboard.

You are loved—for who you are.

So here are 10 things I try to hold onto now—and offer to every parent walking this path:

1. Your child’s joy matters more than their stat line.
When your kid looks back on this season of life, they won’t remember the scores. They’ll remember how they felt.

2. You don’t need to fix everything.
It's painful to watch them fail or fall out of love with the game. But your role isn’t to rescue—it’s to walk alongside. Growth lives in the struggle.

3. This is a phase of parenting, not your whole identity.
One day, they’ll hang up the cleats. What they’ll carry forward isn’t the game—it’s the connection they had with you and the game.

4. The car ride home is sacred.
It’s not a film session. It’s a moment to breathe, decompress and feel safe. Let them lead the conversation—or just let the music play.

5. Not every kid is on a path to college sports.
And that’s not a failure. Intramurals, rec leagues, lifetime movement—those are wins, too.

6. Burnout doesn’t always look like quitting.
Sometimes it looks like dragging their feet, emotional outbursts or losing the spark. Pay attention to what their body and mood are telling you.

7. Multi-sport athletes aren’t falling behind—they’re protecting their future.
Variety builds better athletes and more joyful ones. The research is clear.

8. The “right” coach isn’t always the one with the winning record.
It’s the one who sees your child as a whole person. Who teaches life, not just sports.

9. Let them fail.
Disappointment is not the enemy. It's practice for life. Their resilience grows every time you let them face hard things and stand back up.

10. Let yourself be in it.
Youth sports won’t last forever. So cheer loud. Laugh on the sidelines. Soak up the drives and the downtime. You don’t have to rush through it—or brace for the ending. Just be in it, while it’s here.

We’re not here to judge. We’re here to remind you: You’re not alone.

And it’s not too late to do this differently—more intentionally, more connected, more in line with who you hoped to be when all this started.

Because youth sports isn’t just shaping them.

It’s shaping us, too.