Crossword Genius

They whiten cheap seats (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

bleachers

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'cheap seats' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)

'they whiten' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'whiten' could be 'bleach' (bleaching is a kind of whitening) and 'bleach' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'ers' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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