High school sports mark a key part of many Cal High athletes’ lives. Student athletes spend countless hours practicing, competing and perfecting their skills for the Grizzlies.
With only a limited number of spots on most teams, it’s clear not everyone gets to compete.
Cal teams such as baseball, softball and basketball have a certain number of positions on the field, leaving the rest of the players on the bench. Although notable hallmark positions such as left bench and bench warmer gain praise, many athletes dream of showing off their competitive skills when the game lights turn on and cheers and shouts fill the stands.
Although every coach wants their team to perform their best, this often leaves half or even more than half of their rosters not on the field.
This approach can crush players’ motivation and confidence, especially those who are still developing both physically and mentally as athletes.
High school is meant to be a stage for growth and development, not a cutthroat competition where only a chosen few are allowed to shine. In order for some development to take place, athletes have to see the field to some degree.
Coaches should not overlook some of the main goals of high school sports: teach teamwork, resilience, and fair play. Denying players the chance to compete strips the joy of the game and creates a culture where dedication isn’t rewarded.
But with goals of winning league titles and qualifying for NCS playoffs, coaches have extra incentive for their teams to perform their best by only playing the stars.
It shouldn’t be forgotten though, that there are many players on most teams who don’t get playing time but still show up to practice, participate in team drills and put in extra time to improve, only to be consistently overlooked when games begin. These players’ efforts and contributions often go unnoticed because they aren’t part of the starting unit, and coaches tend to leave bench players in the shadows.
To address this problem, coaches should incorporate rotational players so their efforts are rewarded. Coaches and players have a tremendous amount of pressure to perform, but the desire to win at all costs shouldn’t take priority over playing time.
Players riding the bench for an entire season or getting limited minutes in a blowout game is not reasonable and very demoralizing for the athletes that earned a spot on the team.