Sitting on the bench and still cheering loudest is a kind of gratitude most people never learn.

Cheering loudest from the bench means holding two true things at once: this is not going your way, and you still want them to win. The easy version is sulking, which is a way of making the team’s success slightly about you. The other option takes real work and hardly anybody notices it. The people on the field notice, and so does everyone paying attention.

Should the season go that way for you, decide in advance how you intend to behave. Be loud for them, learn the game from the sideline, train as though you were starting. That posture outlasts the season.