There’s No ‘I’ in Team

There was a Facebook post this week which shared a blog written by a woman from Oklahoma about her daughter’s experience as a member of her high school basketball team.

The gist of the story was the mother’s reluctance to accept that not getting much playing time did not bother the daughter as much as it did her.  She admitted that watching the games with her 17-year old sitting on the bench was difficult and when she asked her daughter about it her response was, “I mean, yeah I’d love to play more, but Mom, I know what my role is on the team and I’m okay with that.  I’m having fun.”

There is a lot more to the blog in which the main theme is that TEAM players are in many ways just as important as STAR players and maybe we should embrace and accept that.  Not everyone can be the best but everyone can contribute in different ways and that lesson can carry over later in life.

The mother’s blog has received a lot of comments and it was somewhat refreshing to read because it is what I have believed when it comes to sports for years.  So many boys and girls give up a sport because they (and their parents) are not satisfied with playing time or their role on the team.

Everyone would like to be the star but even with 100% effort most will never get to that point.  So why can’t they (and their parents) be satisfied with just being part of the team and doing what they can to contribute in a positive manner and more importantly having fun.

As one who was not a good athlete in high school I still have fond memories of being part of an exceptional football team. The best in school history.  My contribution was getting beat up in practice and then getting into a varsity game well after the outcome had been decided.

However nearly 50 years later I smile when I think about that season and my teammates and I will always have that bond with them.

It does not matter if it’s an 8-year old playing youth soccer or an 18-year old playing high school basketball they should strive to be the best they can be.  For some that will mean stardom but for most it will just be the positive experience of playing a sport they like and being part of a team.And that’s just fine!