MythBusters: Myth #1 The Best Teams are Made up of the Best Athletes

In the spirit of MythBusters, the television program on the Discovery Channel, I will be making a series of posts that relate to common myths that pertain to athletics.

In the United States, when we hear "Dream Team," most peoples' thoughts go directly to the United States Men Basketball Team. A group of men, mostly professional players from the NBA, assembled to do one thing, win gold. Here is the Roster of the 2004 Dream Team:

Carmelo Anthony
Carlos Boozer
Tim Duncan
Allen Iverson
LeBron James
Richard Jefferson
Stephon Marbury
Shawn Marion
Lamar Odom
Emeka Okafor
Amare Stoudemire
Dwayne Wade

No other team had a roster that could compare with the skill or athletic ability that the U.S. brought to the Olympic Games. Even with the best basketball athletes in the Olympics the U.S. Team had to settle for Bronze. They also lost three games which was more than all of the previous Dream Team losses from all of the previous Olympics combined.

Too often people predict a team's success or failure solely on the individual talents on the team. An AP article from the 2004 Olympics says it well:

"The Americans won't be the Olympic basketball champions for the first time since 1988, beaten by an Argentine team that lacks stars but simply knows how to play together better."

Don't get me wrong, as a coach I love working with great athletes. But, I refuse to keep a great athlete that has an attitude that is cancerous. I would much rather have an athlete who works hard and has an attitude that puts the team above themselves. Best case scenario is great athletes with great attitudes........but a team made up of individuals who truly support their teammates and push them to be the best they can be is a team that can be just as effective.

My Dream Team.
Team members: Players, Parents, Coaches, Administration, Student Body
When most people think of a team, they think only of players and coaches. There are many more members of a successful team. Central to a successful team is common goals. All members of the team must be committed and supportive of those goals.
Support and Loyalty.
Second guessing players, or coaches decisions, or parents motives tear away at the foundation of a solid team. Coaches are going to make decisions that are not going to be popular at times. Parents, players, administration, and fans need to support those decisions whether or not they agree with them. Players and parents grumbling about coaching decisions, coaches grumbling about players or lack of support from administration, or countless other negativity takes focus away from where it should be and feeds failure.
Team First Attitude
I love working with players who work hard and constantly encourage their teammates. The only way a team can be successful is if each individual is more concerned with how the team is doing rather than their own stats.
Celebrate the Little Things
In a sport like softball and baseball where there can be many pauses in the action, it is important to celebrate the little things. If a players bunts someone over, moves a runner, hits a sacrifice fly, etc., I encourage the team to celebrate like they hit a homerun. This keeps the atmosphere upbeat and positive while taking away the possibility of hitting a lull that can lead to drops in energy.

These are just some aspects of creating a true Dream Team. If you have any input, please comment.

Myth #1 The Best Teams are Made up of the Best Athletes.....Busted!