Fun and Hard Can Both Exist in Youth Sports (with Jake Savicki)

Fun and Hard Can Both Exist in Youth Sports (with Jake Savicki)

From Healthy Sports Parents by Jonathan Carone

May 20, 2026 · 1h 2m · Season 3 · Episode 16

About this episode

This episode discusses the balance of fun and hard work in youth sports and the impact of parental involvement.

Youth sports are supposed to help kids grow, compete, fail, learn, and have fun. But somewhere along the way, a lot of adults started acting like fun and hard can’t both exist at the same time. In this episode of  Healthy Sports Parents , Jonathan Carone sits down with former player, coach, and creator Jake Savickifor a conversation about what kids actually need from the adults around them in sports. Jake shares stories from coaching high school baseball, raising his own daughter through youth sports, and learning firsthand how much weight parents’ words, reactions, and expectations can carry. The conversation dives into why so many kids stop loving sports, how parents unintentionally add pressure, and why creating the right environment matters more than chasing the perfect development plan. Jonathan and Jake also talk about: Why fun changes as kids get older The difference between hard work and pressure Helping kids stay connected to the game long-term Why comparison and FOMO lead parents into bad decisions The importance of understanding each kid individually What happens when kids feel safe to fail Why parents matter more than they realize This episode is a reminder…

People in this episode

Host: Jonathan Carone

Guest: Jake Savicki

Topics covered

More episodes of Healthy Sports Parents

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Healthy Sports Parents podcast page.