Play favorites once and the whole bench quietly quits while still wearing the jersey.

Unfairness does not usually produce a confrontation. It produces withdrawal: people keep attending, keep nodding, and stop spending anything they are not required to spend. Once someone concludes that effort and reward are unrelated in this particular room, no speech reconnects them, because the conclusion was drawn from evidence.

Check whether the same two people always get the interesting work, and whether you could explain your last three decisions to the person they went against. If you cannot, change one of them. Consistency is what buys you the benefit of the doubt later.