Every athlete and coach has felt it—the fear of making a mistake that costs the team the game, the anxiety of whether you called the right play, or the pressure of making the game-winning shot. Fear of failure is prevalent in sports. It can cause even the best athletes and coaches to freeze in important moments, make uncharacteristic mistakes, and struggle with anxiety, anger, or perfectionism.
The Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25 gives us a framework for thinking about the fear of failure. Jesus tells of three servants: one receives five talents, another two, and another one. The servants who received five and two talents immediately went to work and doubled what they had been given. But the servant who received one talent hid it in the ground. His fear turned stewardship into self-protection.
When the master returns, each servant gives an account of what he was given. Interestingly, the master’s emphasis is not on comparison but faithfulness: “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matt. 25:21). The servant with one talent did not lose what he was given—he returned it. Yet he failed to faithfully steward it. Why? Fear: “So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground” (Matt. 25:25). So, how should athletes and coaches think about the fear of failure?
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21). When we struggle with fear of failure, we should ask: What am I afraid of losing? Is it success, accomplishment, recognition, a certain position, or simply the approval of others? What will my teammates think if I fail? What will parents or administrators think if we lose? Failure often exposes what we treasure. A helpful gauge is to consider how we respond when things do not go our way. Does failure tend to produce the fruit of the Spirit or the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:16–26)? This does not mean we should not care about winning or losing. Rather, we need to consider what we are living for and what is motivating us.
We live in a results-driven culture, and the pressure to perform is real—especially in sports. It is easy to become fixated on results and outcomes. Scripture, however, calls us to focus on faithfully stewarding what God has given us. That stewardship might involve a key opportunity in a game, a relationship with a teammate or player, or diligently preparing a game plan. Faithfulness does not produce apathy. Instead, it encourages excellence, discipline, hard work, and Christlike character. We work diligently while recognizing that the outcome ultimately belongs to God.
The gospel gives us a greater hope and satisfaction than athletic success ever could. Our identity is secured in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection; we do not have to earn it through our performance. We are free to compete out of our identity in Christ rather than for our identity. The gospel reshapes our fears and transforms our focus. Rather than constantly asking, “What if I fail?” we can ask, “How can I be faithful with what God has entrusted to me?” High-pressure moments become opportunities for faithful stewardship rather than verdicts on our worth. We are free to compete—and compete hard—for God’s glory rather than being consumed with our own.
Fear will still come. David understood this when he wrote, “The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom should I fear?” (Ps. 27:1). The question is not whether athletes and coaches will experience fear, but where we will turn when fear comes. Fear can drive us toward self-protection, but confidence in Christ can free us to faithfully steward whatever God has placed before us.
Summary: This article addresses the fear of failure that athletes and coaches often experience by examining Jesus’ Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25. It considers how fear can reveal what we value, shift our attention toward outcomes, and lead to self-protection. Ultimately, the article points athletes and coaches toward faithful stewardship and the freedom the gospel provides to pursue excellence without finding their identity in performance.