A Sporting KC stalwart, sandwiches and high school sports: here’s how they’re connected

It’s been a tough year for high school athletes.

First, they lost their spring seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Then they were separated from their teammates and best friends for much of the summer. And now, with the threats posed by the coronavirus still present, many might also miss out on their fall sports seasons.

Well, Sporting Kansas City captain Matt Besler has decided to step up and help.

Partnering with De Soto, Kansas -based Goodcents, Besler is helping launch the #GoodSportKC initiative to honor 10 Kansas City-area high school athletes. Honorees must be or have been on a high school sports team during their senior year and be part of the classes of 2020 or 2021.

“We’re looking for people who are role models on and off the field,” said Besler, who grew up in Overland Park and attended Blue Valley West. “Especially in a time like this, where it’s unprecedented, it’s crazy, weird, unfair to some of these kids.”

The 10 chosen winners will enjoy a handful of rewards, including Sporting KC gear, the opportunity to appear in a Goodcents commercial alongside Besler and, perhaps most enticing of all, free Goodcents food for a year.

The commercial will be filmed later this year via Zoom to maintain social-distancing practices.

Athletes can be nominated, via the deli chain’s website, by anyone: a friend, parent, teammate or coach. The main part of the submission form is explaining why he or she deserves to be chosen as a winner. Besler and a group of Goodcents staff will be judging to determine the winners.

The submission process is open until Sept. 13. Besler, along with Goodcents staff, will select the 10 winners soon after.

“(We’re) just going to be looking for people who are staying positive and being good role models — work ethic — and basically just trying to make the best of an unusual situation,” he said.

Besler, who played at Notre Dame after leaving high school and going pro (not to mentioning appearing in World Cup and other international competitions) appreciates what it means to grow up in Kansas City. He knows how important high school seasons are for athletes as they make memories, and perhaps look to further their careers in sports.

“Some of the best memories of my life came through high school sports, so it sort of speaks for itself in terms of how important it was me,” Besler said. “That’s why we’re just trying to make the best of it. And if we can give these kids something to potentially look forward to or create some sort of memory they can hold onto, then it’s worth it trying to do that.”

Besler said many of the good habits he maintains today, both as a player and as a person, developed while he was in high school.

“We’re trying to put ourselves in their shoes and think back and remember when we were in high school,” he said. “How important those seasons were to our lives and how much they meant to our careers in all those things.”

The form to nominate someone for the initiative can be found at www.Goodcentssubs.com/goodsport.

This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "A Sporting KC stalwart, sandwiches and high school sports: here’s how they’re connected."