What To Do When You’re Not Getting Playing Time

I wrote this for the struggling athlete, but the principles apply to anyone who’s having a tough time dealing with a superior — boss, coach, business partner — who doesn’t see the value in you that you see in you.

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This is for athletes who play team sports such as basketball, football, baseball and hockey, and it’s about dealing with coaches and playing time issues in whatever sport you happen to play.

If you’re in a situation where you’re not getting the type of playing time that you want, how do you deal with that situation? How do you approach the coach with that situation (if at all)? What do you say?

There are certain things you should say, and certain things you should not say. What do you do depending on the outcome of those conversations — and what do you do if you don’t have that conversation?

My name is Dre Baldwin. For those who don’t know me, my background is a professional athlete. I played basketball overseas for nine years. I have a ton of experience when it comes to dealing with basketball coaches, basketball teams, and playing time situations: from playing every game to play in none of the games.

Over the last 11+ years, I’ve been posting videos on YouTube and blogging on my website, DreAllDay.com. Basketball players and also athletes in other sports are coming to me all the time and asking me about issues with coaches, playing time and issues with the team. I get parents sending me very, very long emails telling me the situations of their kids and asking how they can possibly help their children to get into a better space in their sport because they feel their child is either not playing to to his/her potential, or not getting the opportunity that the parent feels their child should be getting because of the coach.

I’m going to tell you three things that any athlete, at any level, needs to do when they feel like they are not getting the type of playing time they want. If you happen to have a child, friend or a mentee who is an athlete who’s having coaching issues, this conversation is not for you to have. I made this for you to share this with the athlete, because this is my direct conversation with the athlete who feels that he/she is not receiving enough playing time.