One thing that I learned is . . . shooting individuals is a different mindset and equipment need.
In football, I used to concentrate on the QB, running backs, and receivers, because that is where the ball was. The line was ignored, because that was not where the ball was. Now I am "trying" to shoot more shots of the line, in both offense and defense, to get "the other players." As with you, this mental shift has been difficult to do.
In team games, like football and volleyball, more than half my shots are multi-player plays, not individual shots.
For football, when I shoot a play, I use a 70-200. If I were shooting individuals, I would be using a 300 or 400 (IF I had the $$$$$ for a long f/2.8 lens), to pick them out. The 70-200 does not have enough magnification to do that. So, many times, I have to deep crop into my 70-200 frame to get the individual players. Luckily the 70-200 has good enough IQ that usually a deep crop is possible, without loosing much visible IQ.
In volleyball, I use a 35 or 50 on my DX camera. I used to wonder about parents who brought a 70-200 lenses to a volleyball game

But then I realized that if they are only shooting
their kid, an individual shot vs. a play shot, the tight viewing angle made sense.