"Coach, can I ask you something?", said John, who's the team captain of one of our football teams in FNL.
"I know you used to be a great player in your younger years, but why didn't you ever win an MVP award?", he went on to ask. His question came as a real surprise to me and as far as I could remember, he was the first one to ask me that.
I didn't exactly know what answer to give him, because to be honest, receiving an MVP award was the last thing on my mind when I was playing. All I wanted was to win games, and win championships. And we did...and for me, it was very fulfilling.
As a youth sport coach, I always look for ways to motivate my players. I want them to have the desire to utilize their talents and to keep working hard to reach their goals. There are many ways I do this, and one of them is to get them to focus on winning as a team, and not as individuals.
One of the hardest to teach is to become a team-player. Why? Because we're living in a world where being noticed and recognized are overvalued. Whether it is in school, in the workplace, in politics, etc., people are always in search for ways to get attention and credit.
In sports, on the other hand, it doesn't work that way.
What makes a true champion?
A true champion isn't someone who receives the most number of individual awards. He or she in not necessarily one who's frequently featured in sports magazines or TV shows. They are not the athletes who are consistently their team's best offensive or defensive player. And definitely, a true champion is not the one who scores the most points, hits the most home runs, scores the most goals, or earns the biggest salary.
A true champion is selfless. He or she is an individual who has an unconditional willingness to put their team before their own individual needs. In short, a true champion is someone who is willing to SERVE others.
According to Jerry Lynch, a well-known sports psychologist, selflessness is a very important ingredient in team harmony. He believes that without selflessness, there won't be any great individual success. And why is that?
It's because selfish behaviors are a huge distraction to the team's performance and success. When players think of "I" too much instead of 'We", they are likely to forget what it really takes to be true winners. All they will aim for is to be seen and given credit. This isn't what sports is all about.
Our youth athletes need to understand why they are on a team. They belong to a group or an organization because they have something to give. Once each of them realizes how important their contributions are to their team, it won't be long before they all become winners, be it individually or as a team.
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