To all the "Athletes" out there,

I put quotations around the term athletes for a reason, and it’s not meant in a negative way. Not all athletes are treated equal, and I’m not talking about the superstars or those who get regular playing time. I’m talking to those who show up to practice each and every day and work their butt off and spend gameday going through pre-game warm-ups and the rest of the game riding the pine.

You may not be the most skilled or most athletic person on the planet or you may just be a victim of favoritism or the politics involved in competitive sports. Despite this disadvantage you still show up, day after day and do what you have to do—work hard, try not to make mistakes, and do what is best for the team without complaint.

I get it, I have been one of those people since the beginning of my high school athletic career. I love sports, they are my passion. I was a three-sport athlete in high school who was perpetually keeping the bench warm season after season. What people don’t realize is how much it hurts. They only see you on the sidelines cheering on the team, high-fiving or giving pep-talks, a smile on your face.

What they don’t see is what happens when you’re at home all alone, crying out of frustration, beating yourself up over things that you cannot control or because your team lost and you were stuck outside the lines. Day after day those sort of feelings can wear you down, making you hate something that you love with every ounce of your being. Sports teach some of the greatest life lessons and skills. Leadership, toughness, perseverance, teamwork and dedication are just a few that make up an endless list, but rarely acknowledged is how sports can destroy a person.

My high school athletic career was filled with some of the best and worst memories of my high school experience. My teammates were my second family, a group of people I would sacrifice anything for. But season after season of sitting on the sidelines destroyed me as a person.

As much as I loved the sports that I played I hated what they did to me. I was constantly frustrated and I lost confidence in myself not just as an athlete but as a person. I had mixed feelings at the end of my high school athletic career. I was both sad and glad that I would most likely never play a competitive sport again and frustrated that I was unable to accomplish a childhood dream of being a college athlete.

It wasn’t until I was a freshman in college that I realized how prevalent sports had been in my life and how much I missed playing and being on a team. One thing I have to tell all of you “athletes” out there is this, you may be referred to as the “glue guys” or “great teammates” but never settle at that. You are the truest competitors, the heart and the soul of your team. Never let your situation bring you down and never, ever give up on your dream.

The kid who was a three-sport bench warmer, unofficial cheerleader and team manager in uniform is now a Division III athlete. My situation hasn’t really changed much now that I’m playing at the college level, but time has allowed me to grow and accept a reality that I had fought against during high school. I am a completely different player than I once was and I have come recognize the importance of a role that I once was and still am reluctant to accept. It may seem cliche, but things happen for a reason, and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and a year away from sports really puts things into perspective.

We “athletes” are more than just the “glue guys” or “great teammates”, we are what makes the team click. We are under-appreciated and often times forgotten about, but we show up every single day and give it our all. We may not be filling up the stat sheet or making the highlight reel but without us, the team wouldn’t function. We are more than just bench-warmers, we are the true superstars, the real MVP's.