By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
Prior to the kickoff of the season opener for the Cherokee Braves, seniors Brandon Santiago and Luke Smith, walked, arms locked, to the center of the field for the coin toss. This happens at the beginning of each football game, varsity or junior varsity, as the captains will stroll to the center of the field for the coin toss holding hands or with locked arms in a symbol of teamwork, unity, and cooperation.
Brandon Santiago (#22) and Luke Smith (#32), both Cherokee seniors, walk out for the captain’s coin toss prior to the season opening game for the Braves at Smoky Mountain on the evening of Friday, Aug. 23. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photo)
Playing sports gives youth and teens the opportunity to learn a lot of such topics.
The late Babe Ruth, one of the greatest baseball hitters of all time, once said, “The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.”
If you’ve been around sports at all, you know that teams usually monitor and “police” themselves. Most don’t need a coach yelling around at them. They will inspire from within. And, isn’t that the goal?
The idea of success is thrown around a lot when it comes to sports, and I feel this idea needs to be segregated out by level. What I mean is that the idea of success at the high school level should be vastly different than success at the college or professional level. Many times, it isn’t and that makes me sad.
I truly feel that high school and middle school teams can be quite successful without winning a single contest in a season. For instance, if a team just doesn’t have the raw talent of other teams but they come together and improve, that’s success. Success at the prep level isn’t always measured in trophies.
Now, I’m not naïve to think that is the same for the professional level, and now the college level honestly. Both are basically money-driven entities these days but that discussion is for a different column.
Being able to go out and work as a team to achieve a goal is one of the tenets of being an adult and working in any type of professional environment. Most employers have “works well with the team” as some type of metric when doing employee evaluations. It’s that important.
So, when high school players work together, act selflessly, and achieve together – whatever the goal is – that sets the tone for them being able to do the same in their adult life.
Pep Guardiola is the manager for the Manchester City football club which plays in the Premier League. Being a Liverpool FC fan, he is the bane of my existence, but he is a good manager for sure and he inspires his team.
He once said, “We need the whole squad, every player of the team, if we are to be successful.”
So, to the young athletes out there, remember to train, work, and play with a team mindset. That will help shape you for true success in life.
