COLUMN It's a Team Game

From Peter Morrison's "Think For Yourself," Fall '95 From Peter Morrison's "Think For Yourself," Fall '95Ernie Banks was never a champion. He was an outstanding baseball player, but never a champion. Playing for the Chicago Cubs in the 1950s and '60s, Banks used to terrorize opposing pitchers. In 1958 and 1959 he had the most runs batted in of any player in the National League. In these two years, Banks also was selected as the most valuable player. But for all his great accomplishments, playing third base for the Cubs, he never won a World Series. Banks was never a champion because his team was never a championship team. An individual athlete cannot achieve ultimate athletic success unless his teammates reach the championship plateau along side him. Banks was a wonderful player, but this is the beauty of team sports -- only through cooperation and the same effort from all players regardless of their talent, can a team be victorious. But the team game of professional sports seems to have been forgotten. The days of loyal team players like Joe Montana are over. Today's professional ranks are saturated with immature individuals who consistently place their own needs above that of the team. Today's best teams are judged based on the individual talent of the players, not on whether they play well together. The teams of today's era can never be considered great teams because they lack the chemistry and cooperation that characterize historic teams. A great team consists of great players, but they are players willing to sacrifice so that the team will improve. A great team consists of players who all realize that they cannot win a championship unless every one of their teammates wins one with them. This is the mindset, the motivation -- I must contribute so that the team succeeds, then I will succeed as well. Today, players do not understand the concept of cooperation and team. These players worry about minutes played or points scored. They worry about highlight reels and sneaker endorsements. Individually, they are exceptional ball players, but they will never be champions. The selfishness rampant in sports today has been bred by big business marketing strategies. Leagues know that they can market Michael Jordan, Deion Sanders and Barry Bonds to make money. Young children idolize individual players and will pay money to see those players perform. But what league executives fail to realize is that their efforts to popularize their respective sports are transforming the games themselves. The emphasis on the individual has perverted professional sports today and the fans are begging for a reversal. Basketball is an excellent example of this unfortunate trend. Today's basketball teams are filled with Dennis Rodmans and Derrick Colemans. The Chicago Bulls' Scottie Pippen refuses to enter a ball game because the final play is not called for him. The New Jersey Nets' Kenny Anderson misses two practices in a row for no reason. The emphasis has been placed so much on the individual, that players have become prima donnas demanding millions of dollars and believing that they can rule the world. Coaches aren't respected. Teammates aren't respected. And certainly the sport itself isn't respected. College players see this trend and perpetuate it. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were certainly outstanding basketball players. But what has made them two of the greatest players to ever grace the court is that they played on teams that were dynasties. Larry Bird's Celtics and Magic Johnson's Lakers were two of the greatest basketball teams ever. They met each other in the championship series what seemed like hundreds of times. The rivalry between the Celtics and the Lakers is what popularized basketball, not simply Larry versus Magic. The individual matchup was certainly intriguing, but the team battles made the playoffs truly special. The Celtics -- Bird, McHale, Parrish, Ainge and Johnson -- battling the Lakers -- Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Scott and Green -- throughout the 1980s was extraordinary. Fans loved to watch the Celtics execute the pick and roll play, and the Lakers run their fastbreak called "Showtime." Both Bird and Magic were two very talented athletes. But what made them superstars was the number of championships they won. Both understood that to be the best, an athlete must win championships. And to win championships it takes a team effort. Bird and Magic were special players because they used their talent to elevate their teammates' games. Ironically, the professional businessmen who are supposed to identify and package the most attractive components of professional sports fail to realize that the team concept is what makes athletics so attractive. Unless professional sports executives recognize that athletics are team driven rather than individual driven, professional sports will be changed for the worse, and changed forever. The marketers must learn that team work is the foundation of sports. It is the team concept -- many different individuals working together to form one efficient unit -- that makes athletics remarkable and fun to play and watch. The leagues should promote the team concept, not the individual. Commercials should show a beautiful fastbreak where the ball doesn't even need to be dribbled. Advertisements should picture championship teams that established dynasties in their leagues. Doing so would educate young players that they are teammates, not just individuals. And the players must remember that championships make good players great. And championships are won by teams, not individuals. Maybe today's prima donnas should ask Joe Montana about the four Superbowls he won as a San Francisco 49er. Joe Montana is one of the greatest quarterbacks in the NFL's history because he led his team to those victories -- but he'd never tell you that.