In this episode of Surviving Youth Sports, Rhett Parker sits down with college baseball coach Justin Cunningham to talk about youth sports parenting, perspective, and what changes when you move from the dugout to the stands.

Justin has coached at multiple levels of college baseball and currently leads at Lyon College, but this past year he experienced the game differently — as the father of Connor Cunningham, starting shortstop for Murray State during their College World Series run. Watching your child compete at a high level is exciting, but it also exposes something every sports parent feels: you have no control.

Rhett and Justin discuss the pressure youth sports parents place on the future, the reality of development not being linear, genetics versus growth, backyard reps versus travel hype, and how NIL and the transfer portal are changing college athletics. At the center of it all is a simple priority: whether your child becomes a Hall of Famer or chooses another path, youth sports should help them learn resilience, handle failure, and grow into strong teammates and good humans.

This episode is for youth sports parents, coaches, and athletes navigating competition, ambition, and the tension between long-term dreams and enjoying the present moment.