Ridin' the pine, ridin' high!
I am a sports fan. I watch a lot of sports. Not tons, but a lot. I don't only watch the players on the field (or court or ice or whatever); I like to watch everything else too: the refs, the fans, the cheerleaders (who doesn't?), and, yes, the benchwarmers.
Watching this latter class of athlete intrigues me: he has the talent to make the team, but not quite enough to actually play when it matters. Yet benchwarmers are the most enthusiastic people in the stadium when something goes well, or, badly, for their team. Take basketball, the easiest of the sports to watch benchwarmers in action--they are in almost every TV angle.
They jump around like maniacs if one of the starters hits a three and they bury their heads in a towel if someone misses a freethrow, as if the benchwarmer himself was the offender.
I've had experience on both ends of the spectrum: I've been a starter as well as rode the pine. When I started, or at least was playing, I never understood the enthusiasm of the people who were not in the game. I can get being happy that your team is winning (or coming back). As a fan, that is totally cool.
But as a bench-rider, that sucks. At least for me. As I said: I have been on both sides of the spectrum. I have been relegated to the pine (for offenses I'd rather not go into here--nothing illegal or sick, though) and it royally sucked! I wished that I was in there, contibuting to the cause--whether it was a winning or losing effort.
Every time I was sitting (be it baseball, soccer, basketball, tennis, golf, lacrosse, volleyball, etc) I was majorly pissed. Why wasn't it me out there? That is not to say I was resentful of the fellas in action.
And I always hoped we would win. But I would never jump around like a fool when the guys who were on the court (field, ice, etc) were doing what I so wanted to be doing. Some of these guys on the bench put the fans to shame in their exuberance for their team.
I just don't get it. These guys need to get laid sometimes...maybe they won't need to live vicariously through their (actually playing) teammates...
Watching this latter class of athlete intrigues me: he has the talent to make the team, but not quite enough to actually play when it matters. Yet benchwarmers are the most enthusiastic people in the stadium when something goes well, or, badly, for their team. Take basketball, the easiest of the sports to watch benchwarmers in action--they are in almost every TV angle.
They jump around like maniacs if one of the starters hits a three and they bury their heads in a towel if someone misses a freethrow, as if the benchwarmer himself was the offender.
I've had experience on both ends of the spectrum: I've been a starter as well as rode the pine. When I started, or at least was playing, I never understood the enthusiasm of the people who were not in the game. I can get being happy that your team is winning (or coming back). As a fan, that is totally cool.
But as a bench-rider, that sucks. At least for me. As I said: I have been on both sides of the spectrum. I have been relegated to the pine (for offenses I'd rather not go into here--nothing illegal or sick, though) and it royally sucked! I wished that I was in there, contibuting to the cause--whether it was a winning or losing effort.
Every time I was sitting (be it baseball, soccer, basketball, tennis, golf, lacrosse, volleyball, etc) I was majorly pissed. Why wasn't it me out there? That is not to say I was resentful of the fellas in action.
And I always hoped we would win. But I would never jump around like a fool when the guys who were on the court (field, ice, etc) were doing what I so wanted to be doing. Some of these guys on the bench put the fans to shame in their exuberance for their team.
I just don't get it. These guys need to get laid sometimes...maybe they won't need to live vicariously through their (actually playing) teammates...
posted by BG at 15:21
0 comments
