Kids remember who came to their games far longer than who won them.

A kid scanning the sideline is looking for one specific face, and finding it matters more to them than the result does. Years later the score is gone and the memory of who was standing there is not. Presence reads as proof that somebody thought they were worth an afternoon.

Go to the thing a younger sibling or cousin has coming up, even if it will be dull. Let them see you in the crowd before it starts.