Winning matters.
There. I said it.
Keep score - Compete - Practice hard
Want the ball when the game is on the line.
Learn how to win—and learn how to lose.
I love competition. I don't want our athletes walking onto a field or court thinking the outcome doesn't matter.
But winning can't be the point.
Don't mistake that for weakness.
Because when I zoom out and look at a life in sports—from a four-year-old playing their first season all the way to the rare athlete who gets paid to play—the actual games make up only a fraction of the journey.
Think about everything else.
- Practices.
- Workouts.
- Film.
- Meetings.
- Road trips.
- Early mornings.
- Late nights.
- Conversations with coaches.
- Conversations with teammates.
- Sitting on the bench.
- Extra reps when nobody is watching.
- Injuries.
- Disappointment.
- Failure.
- Trying again.
We spend far more time becoming than we ever spend competing on game day.
So if winning the game is the ultimate goal...
What are we doing with all that other time?
Grow Where You're Planted
A while back, I sat on a bucket with a local Tri-Cities coach named Craig Lukens for one of my Inning Intermissions conversations.
Craig said something that has stayed with me:
"Grow where you're planted."
That's it. That's the point.
Grow.
Sports give our kids this incredible environment where growth gets put under pressure.
- Mental growth.
- Physical growth.
- Spiritual growth.
- Relational growth.
It's why I believe sports can be so powerful.
- The practices that nobody cheers for matter.
- The conversation in the car matters.
- How you respond after getting benched matters.
- How you treat the official matters.
- How you encourage a teammate after their mistake matters.
- How you respond when the scoreboard doesn't go your way matters.
Because all of it is growing something inside of you.
The question is: What are you growing?
Jesus Talked About Growth Too
Jesus once described God's Kingdom using something incredibly small.
A seed.
"God's kingdom is like a mustard seed... It is the smallest of all seeds. But when it grows, it is one of the largest garden plants."
Matthew 13:31–32, ERV
I love that picture.
Because growth doesn't always look impressive while it's happening.
- Sometimes it's one practice.
- One conversation.
- One failure.
- One decision to get back up.
- One small seed.
But give it time.
God can do a lot with something that's willing to grow.
Meet Ray
Ray's team lost. And he hated losing.
On the drive home, he barely said a word.
Finally, Dad asked,
"What did you learn today?"
Ray looked confused.
"We lost."
"I know," Dad said. "I didn't ask what the scoreboard said."
Ray thought for a second.
"I probably could've encouraged Zach more after he dropped that pass."
Dad nodded.
"Anything else?"
"I gave up on a play after I thought I was beat."
Another nod.
Then Ray understood.
They hadn't won the game.
But there were still places he could grow.
Before getting out of the car, Dad looked at him.
"Keep wanting to win, Ray."
Then he smiled.
"Just don't miss who you're becoming while you're trying."
The End Game
Parents, let's cheer.
- Let's compete.
- Let's celebrate wins.
- Let's let losses hurt.
Sports should matter.
But let's remember what we're actually preparing these kids for.
Because eventually...
- The jerseys get turned in.
- The cleats get put away.
- The final whistle blows.
Even for the professionals.
And when that happens, the scoreboard doesn't come with them.
The person they became does.
That's the end game.
- Did they grow?
- Did they learn perseverance?
- Did they become a better teammate?
- Did they learn to lead?
- Did they learn how to fail without quitting?
- Did they learn how to win without making winning their identity?
- Did they discover more about who God created them to be?
Because maybe the greatest victory sports can give our kids isn't something that appears in the standings.
Maybe it's becoming the kind of person who can walk into whatever God has next for them and...
Grow where they're planted.
Winning matters.
It just isn't the point.
More than a league. It's a mission.
Troy Farley
FCA Sports Leagues Director










