I admire the collegiate athletes who aren’t starters or even second-string. Whenever I go to a game, I think of the commitment these players make — riding for hours on a bus, spending time every day at practice, running and lifting weights — only to spend the whole game sitting on the bench. Division III players don’t even receive scholarships for their efforts, and I wonder what motivates them to dedicate the time it takes to remain on the roster, all while also juggling the demands of being a student. It impresses me.
Yet, without these reserve players, the starters would not be as good. Teams need a full cadre of players to run drills, practice plays, prepare for the future, and be available in case of illness, foul trouble or injury. It wouldn’t do to have just five or even ten on the roster.
At the last game, the 12 players whose likelihood of playing time was so low that they didn’t even bother to take off their jerseys still remained engaged in the contest. They cheered for good plays, groaned at bad calls, and served as an audible countdown clock when the buzzer was about to sound. The whole bench contributed even though only less than half of them who came ever set foot onto the court.
Think about the role you play on your team. You may be a bench player — for now — yet your presence can still be an asset to the overall effort. There are many ways to help your team become a winner without directly scoring a point.
