My classroom has a new book shelf on the wall this year. My alma mater, Cathedral High School in New Ulm, was replacing the bleachers in the gym, and I managed to get one of the old ones.
After all, I spent enough time sitting there when I was on the basketball team. I figured I might as well have one!
My varsity career in basketball and baseball involved much more time on the bench than in the actual games. And you know what? I’m O.K. with that.
I love both sports and enjoyed being part of a team. Would I have liked to play more? Absolutely, but I’m O.K. with my 13 career varsity basketball points.
I’m more than a little bothered when I hear about kids not playing a sport anymore because they won’t get as much playing time.
As our girls’ basketball team begins another hopefully successful season, one would think that girls would want to stay out and be part of a team with a chance to go to state. However, a few have told me they’re not playing because they won’t get as much time.
Do you have any idea what I would have given to sit on the bench at Target Center? For one thing, I’m sure those chairs are much more comfortable than the average high school bench. And not playing much? Based on the number of blowouts last year, playing time is plentiful when you’re up by 30.
Here are theories on why numbers are down in varsity sports, not just here but many other schools. First, kids feel obligated to work more hours. Let’s face it, if you want to put gas in your car, it is a lot more exponentially than it was when we were growing up.
Second, some kids are getting burned out of various sports. Basketball and volleyball are year-round activities now, and I think there comes a point where kids get sick of seeing the same ball for 12 months. If you want to be competitive, you have to play all year, and coaches and players feel that pressure to succeed.
The last reason is this sense of entitlement that seems to pervade our society today. If I practice every day and come to camp in the summer, I should get to play as much as the next person.
However, especially at a varsity level, that’s not how it works. Let’s be honest. If a varsity coach played everyone equally and ended up with a losing record because of it, many people in the community would be in an uproar. People pay money to watch these games and want to see a winner if possible.
Let’s be honest some more. Some people won’t show up to a varsity event if the team is losing. Football, volleyball, basketball, and wrestling are cash sports because the money brought in from tickets at least partially offsets the costs of running those programs.
Nobody seems happy to just be part of the team anymore. Nobody revels in being that player that everyone goes crazy for when they actually get in and, gasp, score a basket!
And that’s too bad, because having those players can help a team just as much as having a couple of all-star players. Those players are motivators from the bench and can bust their tails at practice to push the starters and make them better.
In the end, the splinters are well worth the valuable skills in teamwork and the camaraderie gained from being part of a varsity team.
Word of the Week: This week’s word is upbraid, which means to criticize or scold severely, as in, “The coach had to upbraid the starter when he wasn’t trying as hard as the player who normally sat on the bench.”
Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!