I think that we should clear something up within the first sentence of this blog post; If you don’t think that bench players are a functioning part of the team, you obviously have no idea how organized sports work. Let’s be real. Everyone is drooling over the starters- they post their stats, make posters expressing their love for them to take to the game, and acting like they alone are carrying the entire team on their back like little athletic war heroes. But the truth is? These spotlight players would fall apart without the people that are behind them. Bench players are the backbone, the emotional support system, the insurance policies, the practice dogs, the unlicensed therapists, and sometimes the reason the whole team hasn’t turned into a freak show two weeks into the season. They are the glue.

They are so incredibly important, and they are rarely recognized. 

Rude.

Without a solid bench presence, practice gets soft for your starters. Then they begin to live in a wonderland where they think that they are untouchable.. Until they go out to their first game and are laid out by the competition and are completely humbled. Bench players are the reason starters don’t get lazy. They push reps, they challenge spots and keep intensity up. And honestly, they bring the “top dogs” down a few notches most of the time so they can be in the real world with the rest of us. If you don’t have players pushing your favorite guy on the field, they are going to become just a regular dude… and then what?

Sports are super cute until someone rolls an ankle in the second inning or tears something at the worst time possible. And suddenly the dude that rides the bench is no longer just a bench rider;  they are in the game. They are expected to perform at the same level of the guy with the rolled ankle, and everyone that ignored them the entire season is praying that they know what they are doing. Isn’t it funny how fast people remember the bench guy when there is no one else?  The best teams aren’t just built on talent; they are built on a multilayered depth that supports itself. If the bench can’t step in and keep the ship afloat, your team was never even strong to begin with. RIP to that roster of yours.  The bench riders are also the most loyal on the team. They are pouring themselves into something that don’t even know if it’s going to pay off. They sacrifice time, energy, ego- and they may never enter the game at any point. That takes an entirely new type of toughness that not everyone has. Showing up every single day when you are rarely in the spotlight? That is someone that actually loves the game… and those are the people you actually need. 

And my favorite part… sometimes they get to come in and be the absolute dawg of the entire game.  The kid that is underestimated, overlooked or even ignored is brought into the game. They are calm. No ego, no entitlement. And then they get the hit. Make the play. Lock down the inning. Come through at the exact moment the team needed them. Everyone is asking “Wow, where did that come from?”…Oh well shit I don’t know… maybe it’s all the hard work that they’ve been doing while you were worshiping the starting lineup.  Those moments are the best to watch. 

But the real reason you have kids on your team that aren’t the best, the star, the starter… it’s because they are the glue. They control the entire vibe of the team, and a team that has a dead bench usually means a dead team. I can tell you (from experience) that you want that kid in the dugout in his normal state of mind every single time because if he isn’t happy, the whole damn place is in shambles. Will I buy snacks for 19-year-old kids just to keep the vibe in check? You bet your ass I will. Because they celebrate every single thing. They become the loud one, cheering and chirping the weirdest things to the guys on the bases just for a laugh. The ones that keep the momentum alive while eating Nutella and screaming for the craziest reasons. They are the guys doing every TikTok dance, the first out on the field to congratulate the guy that hit a dinger, but they are also the guy picking up someone after an error or a strikeout. They are cheerleaders, therapists, and my source of most of my laughter all day. You can have all the talent in the world, but if your dugout has the personality of a funeral, you might as well go home. 

The benchwarmers may not make the paper; they may not get the glory or the winning play. But they get something else: the chance to prove they have always had something extra anyway. They are the heartbeat, the vibe, the basis of every bit of my social media content- and they are the kids I will do absolutely anything for. So, yes- They are the backup plan on the field, but in all reality? They are the reason your team survives at all. And definitely the ones that hold my heart.