Let’s just get right to the point. Kids these days (let’s say middle schoolers and younger) can be more loyal to their favorite players than to their favorite hometown teams. As a result, I have kept track of the sports jerseys my kids have been asking for.

To set the scene here, my kids are primarily New York sports fans. While the Giants and Rangers rule my household, the jerseys they have long desired are supporting players on none of those teams. This begs the question, why does this happen?

Well, with all of these social channels in the palm of their hands, athletes have individual platforms to reach an audience like never before. For example, Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys has a popular podcast. Like the Kelce Brothers, he talks a lot about football, of course, but can also go into conversation on sidebar topics. Youth followers have the ability to learn about the person in addition to just watching the player. Furthermore, much of the highlights we see daily center around an individual’s great play.

Here are the three sports jerseys that my kids are now sporting.

Patrick Mahomes

To the surprise of nobody, Mahomes #15 jerseys are rocked in school hallways everywhere. That certainly seems like it will only continue now that Mahomes just won his third Super Bowl ring, and is a once-in-a-generation talent. Mahomes, like Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, who happens to be his teammate, is an lively personality. He is seen on football fields, commercials, and TikTok’s everywhere.

Lionel Messi

This one fascinates me. My kids do play soccer, but it’s easily the sport they spend the least amount of time partaking in. Still, I don’t think there is a youth athlete on my block that does not have a piece of soccer apparel that doesn’t have #10 branded on it. I will admit, the Messi documentary series, Messi Meets America on AppleTV is just as fascinating for adults as it is for kids. Inter Miami also hit those one out of the park. Their uniform colors feature a bright pink that you can’t miss. It perfectly matches the bright color schemes kids seem to gravitate towards.

Kobe Bryant

Lastly, Mamba still resonates. I have been overly impressed with how young athletes have taken to and been inspired by how hard Kobe Bryant worked. Luckily, Bryant was very vocal about his relentless effort to be the best and outwork all his competitors. Youngsters can absorb these messages in short clips that still get shared everywhere. The only challenge with Bryant’s #8 or #24 jersey is that they are very hard to find. There are various shirts on Amazon that will suffice.

5 Life Lessons From Coaching Youth Sports

There are many life lessons to be taken from coaching youth sports. Sometimes, they can be the same lessons your little players are also learning. Perhaps as an adult, you are simply learning these lessons again. Or you may just be interpreting them through a different lens.

“If You Ain’t 15 Minutes Early, You’re A Half An Hour Late”

This is the first memory I have as a kid playing basketball. It’s a sentence I will never forget. My coach was a former standout at the University of South Carolina. He treated us as if he was the actual Division One South Carolina coach, and we were his 5-star recruit players about to enter March Madness. We were ten years old. It sounds intense, I understand, but herein lies the first rule of coaching youth sports. There are some values that are non-negotiable.

When you break it down, these values are all centered around respect. Respect for yourself and those around you. Respect becomes a way of life. It’s how an athlete carries themselves and how they approach the game. Therefore, it’s important as a coach to ask yourself if respect is present in the environment you and your team are creating. It has a way of applying to everything while also being an evolving process.

Speaking of which, more often than not, youth coaches are volunteers. This means that they are not paid. Sometimes, they never even played the sport they are coaching. However, they care enough to dedicate their time and attention to help make the sporting experience memorable for the youth program. So keep that in mind and cut them some slack. This is true of referees and umpires, as well.

Coaching youth sports can be a year-round commitment. We often end one season and immediately transition to the next sport. Here are five life lessons learned from coaching youth sports.