"Winning isn't everything, but playing and competing and striving and going through things can be a lot of fun and really important. As long as you're doing it in a way that's healthy, sports can be an incredible opportunity"
About this Quote
The subtext is a rebuttal to two modern critiques at once. First, the burnout-and-injury conversation around youth athletics: “As long as you’re doing it in a way that’s healthy” functions like a disclaimer, acknowledging the darker side without letting it hijack the pitch. Second, the cynicism that sports are just ego or spectacle. Shue’s emphasis on “fun” and “really important” tries to rescue sincerity from irony, framing athletic striving as one of the few places where effort is still allowed to feel meaningful.
As an actor, Shue speaks less like a coach and more like a public figure who’s watched competition become content, parenting become management, and childhood become performance. “Incredible opportunity” is carefully optimistic language: not destiny, not guarantee, but a chance. It’s a way to endorse sports culture while insisting it should serve the person, not consume them.
Quote Details
| Topic | Sports |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Shue, Andrew. (2026, January 17). Winning isn't everything, but playing and competing and striving and going through things can be a lot of fun and really important. As long as you're doing it in a way that's healthy, sports can be an incredible opportunity. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/winning-isnt-everything-but-playing-and-competing-74561/
Chicago Style
Shue, Andrew. "Winning isn't everything, but playing and competing and striving and going through things can be a lot of fun and really important. As long as you're doing it in a way that's healthy, sports can be an incredible opportunity." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/winning-isnt-everything-but-playing-and-competing-74561/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Winning isn't everything, but playing and competing and striving and going through things can be a lot of fun and really important. As long as you're doing it in a way that's healthy, sports can be an incredible opportunity." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/winning-isnt-everything-but-playing-and-competing-74561/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.









