Sidelines

This article is about the sports term. For survey roads, see concession road. For the Modern Family episode, see Benched (Modern Family).

Players not actively participating in a game and coaches remain on the sidelines during play

The "sidelines" is a term commonly used to define the white or colored lines which mark the outer boundaries of a sports field. American football sidelines, for example, mark the edge of the field. Should a player pass through the sidelines, he is considered out of bounds. The sidelines are also where the coaching staff and players out of play operate during a game.

The sideline can be used metaphorically to refer to players who have been "benched," meaning that they have been taken out of the game purposefully by the coaching staff due to poor performance in the game or previous play. Establishing shots of these players may be used by televised sports programs to indicate potential roster switches, or to build a narrative of the failure or success of the coaching staff's decision. Likewise, images of the sideline may suggest that the highlighted player had done something of interest outside of the confines of play. For example, in American football, dousing the head coach with water or sports drink is a popular way of celebrating crucial victories, established as a tradition by the New York Giants of the National Football League in the mid 1980's.

The term "to be sidelined" refers to a player in a sports event who is unable to play (e.g. confined to the sideline) for injury, suspension, or other similar reasons. This term has spread into a business context; a project that has been "sidelined" is no longer a major concern or objective of the proponent company.