Does A Player Ever Become A Bench Warmer?

You've been running up and down the court for about 30 minutes now. You are sweating, you need a drink of water, and instead of actually taking a seat on the bench, you keep going. Your attempts of actually blocking shots or resisting the urge to double dribble are amusing. You won't pass the ball, and at this point you aren't thinking of your team, but just your own success. You look at the shot clock, the time has stopped, you are in your own little world, and the once upon a time fan section that stood behind you, is no longer there. There are no other players on the court with you, matter of fact, you are the only one in the gym.

You run over to your play book, trying to figure out your next move, but without a teammate to collaborate with or an opponent to keep the ball from, what exactly are you still playing for? There was a time that the game was something that you enjoyed, but you played it in a way where your team won. You used to have fun, you used to take breaks, you used to sit it out on the bench, because we all know, a real player can also be a bench warmer. But you, you let the game get to your head. You were all about the sneaky, behind your back, 'in between your legs' plays, the ones where not even you knew what the hell you were actually doing. You started becoming the kind of player that not only your opponents despised, but your teammates did too.

As you get older, the game should become less competitive. It should form into simply just trying to come up with a play good enough to get the ball from your hands, into the hoop. As you get older, you should want to take a break, have a drink of water, sit on the bench every now and then. As you get older, you should no longer want to be defined as a player, but part of a team.

There comes a time in every 20 something year old's life that they have to make a decision, and that is to keep playing the game, or take a seat on the bench. The point comes at different times for everyone, and sadly, there are some who will never actually want to be part of a team, and will eventually find themselves on the court alone.

Enjoy the game, enjoy being the number one player and only thinking about your own success. Enjoy looking at your 'numbers' and stats, and soak in all of those self accomplishments. However, there comes a time when you have to take a seat, and if you don't want to hang up that jersey yet, spare the upset of those around you. Spare the feelings of those people who thought you were their teammate, only to find out you only cared about yourself. Spare the disappointment of those who actually believed in you, only to find out that you'd never change your ways of selfishly playing.


You see, life isn't all about winning, and eventually, most players realize that scoring isn't all that fun by themselves.