How to Help Your Team Win Even If You’re On the Bench

Believe it or not, sitting on the bench can be a good thing.

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

When an athlete makes the team, do they want to sit on the bench?

Of course not. Anyone who tells you otherwise isn’t being truthful. Sure, kids often get into sports because they love it or they want to hang out with their friends. But no one wants to be a backup, or worse, not play because they’re injured.

Unfortunately, there are only so many starting spots to go around. Unless your child is in a league where everybody gets to play, they will often have to compete for playing time.

Here’s how athletes at any level can help their team from the sidelines. This can apply to adult athletes, too.

Get the Facts

It’s so tempting for a parent to run to a coach and whine about their child’s lack of playing time, or for a player to visibly sulk because he or she isn’t a starter.

There’s a better way, says Dan Keller, a youth baseball coach in Southern California and CEO of Dugout Captain, a free online resource for baseball coaches and parents.

If you want to know why, ask the coach directly, but do so in a mature manner. Unless the athlete is extremely young, it should…