Every sports team has them—the waterboys, towelboys, managers, and scorekeepers. They're always there, running around to make sure the real athletes have everything they need, but let's be honest: nobody's there to watch them. While the star players bask in the spotlight, these background figures are practically invisible, existing only to fetch towels, track stats, or lug around gear like glorified pack mules, essentially, being a Living Prop.
They're not just overshadowed—they're practically afterthoughts. If they get acknowledged at all, it's usually as the butt of a joke. To the Jerk Jocks, they're walking punchlines; to the popular crowd, they might as well be part of the equipment. They're the only person with lower status on the team than The Benchwarmer, because at least they're an actual athlete. Sure, every once in a while, a kind-hearted coach or teammate throws them a bone—a halfhearted "thanks" before running back to celebrate with the actual team—but nobody's about to hoist them on their shoulders or dedicate the big win to the guy who handed out Gatorade.
And why are they even in this position? Simple: they weren't good enough to make the team in the first place. Maybe they tried out and failed spectacularly, or maybe they knew from the start that they'd never stand a chance. Either way, they're stuck on the sidelines, clinging to the thinnest connection to the sport they love—if they even love it at all. Some of them are diehard fans who just want to be close to the action, even if it means being ignored. Others got roped into the job because they had nothing better to do, or worse, because some well-meaning teacher told them it would "look good on college applications."
Of course, there's always that one moment when they dream of proving themselves—of making a game-winning play when the team is desperate, or at least getting some respect for all their hard work. But let's be real: that's not happening. No one's cheering for the guy who folds the jerseys.
On the Popularity Food Chain, they're at the bottom. Often overlaps with Picked Last. See Loser Team Mascot for another unpopular member of a sports team. In video games, they may be a Non-Player Character.
Examples:
- Venom: In Venom: Dark Origin, in contrast to the successful teenaged athlete he was portrayed as being in The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #375, Eddie Brock is depicted as having been his high-school wrestling team's water-boy, and the team beats him up for pretending he's part of the team—further cementing his status as a pathetic loser before he was found by the symbiote.
- FoxTrot: Due to his lack of athletic ability, Peter Fox usually ends up relegated to water boy/team manager duty whenever he tries out. He's prone to bossing around the larger, often ill-tempered jocks while he holds the position, resulting in him getting beaten up more than once.
Peter: If they weren't able to vent it on the field, I'd be dead.Coach: Peter, it's that venting that's won us three games in a row.Peter: Is this why you put me by the opposing team's end zone?
- 17 Again (2009): The main protagonist Mike is the senior star athlete of the high school basketball team. His best friend is a geeky but rich freshman boy named Ned, who serves as the team's manager and is overshadowed compared to Mike. 20 years later, Mike is going through a divorce with his then-hot high school sweetheart, his kids (one of which he had in high school) want nothing to do with him, and he is living with Ned, who has still been a supportive friend all these years later.
- Hoosiers: Ollie is technically a team member at the start of the film, but his main role is the equipment manager. He's upfront that he only gets to suit up because they have no one else to fill out the bench, and the actual players tend to give him stick for being too short to play. He becomes a more important part of the team over the course of the film.
- Superman (1978). Clark Kent (Superman) is the equipment manager for the Smallville high school American football team. He's treated like dirt by the players, including them messing up the equipment he had just stacked so he will have to clean it up instead of going to a party.
- The Waterboy: The main character Bobby starts out as this—a socially inept (but intelligent) waterboy for the University of Louisiana's football team who has no interest in the sport. Between all the stress in his personal life, his anger issues end up proving him to be a talented tackler, accidentally landing him a position as the linebacker for the team.
- Drake & Josh: In "Football", Drake convinces Josh to try out for the football team in order to help him become cooler in school. Josh technically makes the team but as the equipment manager, which Drake laments as being uncool. Josh takes his role seriously though and gets on decently with the team, even making them brownies upon the coach's request; Megan putting soil in the brownies leads to various hijinks that ultimately result in Josh filling in for the sick quarterback and getting horribly brutalized but still somehow scoring the winning touchdown.
- Modern Family: In "The Big Game", Luke is the scorekeeper for his high school football team and he's had to put up with a Jerk Jock named Jason Miller making fun of him. In the latest football game, Cam (who's the coach) tells Luke he'll need him to be the announcer for his game, too, since the regular announcer is sick. While he's the announcer, Luke takes advantage of the situation by making fun of Miller over the microphone for everyone at the game to hear.
- Saved by the Bell: The New Class:
- Downplayed in "Little Hero", in which Mr. Belding gives a public shout-out to the water boy during a school assembly.
- Mr. Belding reveals in "Maria's Revenge" that he was himself a water boy — or, as he would like to call himself, "beverage consultant" — back in his high school years.
- Ted Lasso: Deconstructed. Nate, the team's kitman, is established as having been ignored or even outright belittled by AFC Richmond's players prior to Ted's arrival at the club. While Ted puts a stop to it, sees Nate's potential as a coach, and eventually promotes him, Nate has already developed an Inferiority Superiority Complex that leads him to abuse his position to get back at his former tormentors while believing that he still isn't getting the respect he deserves, ultimately undergoing a Face–Heel Turn in the Season 2 finale. Pointedly averted with Will, Nate's successor as kitman, who's treated much more like a member of the team.
- Yellowjackets: Misty's lowly status among her fellow Yellowjackets is communicated by the fact that she's the equipment manager and the only one on the flight (aside from the coaches) who doesn't actually play. She finally gets some respect after the plane crashes in the wilderness and she proves herself to be handy, keeping calm and hacking off Coach Ben's leg to save his life. This newfound sense of purpose drives her to destroy the plane transmitter.
- Dimension 20: In Fantasy High, Riz serves as the equipment manager for the Aguefort Owlbears bloodrush team in his junior year after consistently failing to make the team for three years running. He mainly does it as part of his ploy to do literally every extracurricular activity to pad out his college application for scholarships. He's eventually promoted to the team after Gorgug leaves the squad. His skills as a tiny goblin rogue actually turn out to be pretty useful on the field, as he can just hide and be carried into the endzone while holding the ball and still technically be in possession to score.
- Being Ian: Joked about in "Once a Pawn a Time". Ian is trying to find an extracurricular to sign up for while his friends Tyrone and Sandi are playing basketball in the gym. He tries to join in an attempt to see if he should try out for the basketball team, but proves to be Athletically Challenged. His friends tell him in a mocking way that they'll only let him on the team as the waterboy.
- Detentionaire: In "Jock and Roll High School", the school thief turns out to be Ed the water boy, who initially solely focused on the football team as "compensation" for being overlooked and abused by them for years before branching out to rob everyone else. When Holger tries out for the water boy position, his knowledge of cooking and spa techniques lets him avert this, which only stokes Ed's jealousy.
- Family Guy: Inverted at the start of "Peter Griffin: Husband, Father... Brother?" when the family goes to watch Chris at a high school basketball game. After a player gets knocked down, Chris is called onto the court, only to show that his purpose is to wipe the sweat off the floor. When he returns to the bench, the players give him kudos for doing his job well.
Player: Man, you and that towel are representin'.
- King of the Hill:
- The main four men, Hank, Bill, Boomhauer, and Dale all went to high school together and played on the football team. While the former three were star athletes, Dale was merely the towel manager, a job which he treated as Serious Business. This aligns with his current-day status as a bald, crazed conspiracy nut whose wife has been cheating on him for 12 years.
- "The Son Also Roses" had Bobby join Tom Landry Middle School's football team as a towel manager with his skills in use. However, Bobby wasn't being treated with much respect; for example, being left behind to do laundry while the coach took the rest of the team out for burgers. Bobby was cut after shirking his responsibility when he was paying more attention to growing roses, and the dirty towels caused the home team to lose a game in a Curb-Stomp Battle. While Hank was disappointed, Dale, as a former towel manager was furious and tried to kick Bobby out of his own room.
- Recess: "Big Brother Chad" stars Vince's geeky older brother Chad (who is a Steve Urkel Expy). Among Chad's nerdy hobbies include him being on the baseball team...as the scorekeeper.
- The ball boys and ball girls at Wimbledon who are selected from local schools certainly have far less status than the tennis players, and are rarely seen in close-ups on television. However, there is a lot of competition among those who apply; they are trained to a high standard, and when they stand in formation for the presentation of the trophies, it is traditional for the royal presenting the prizes to chat with them in passing.
