The Power and Beauty of Selflessness

I believe that selflessness is one of the most important characteristics an athlete can possess when playing on a team. For a team to reach its full potential, athletes must be willing to make personal sacrifices for the greater good of the team. A true teammate mentality starts with asking, “What does the team need?” before asking, “What do I need?”

When I was an athlete, one of my favorite things about playing on a team, was the opportunity I had to help my teammates be successful. I learned to push my skill level by keeping the mindset that the team’s success was more important than my own.

On defense, playing for my teammates helped me overcome my fears. Instead of focusing on how intimidating diving for a ball was, I focused on getting the out my pitcher needed to end the inning. I knew that if I didn’t lay out, she would have to face another batter. The desire to help my teammates outweighed my fears.

As a coach, I’m noticing that this mindset seems to be less common. Perhaps I was simply oblivious to the growing selfish culture of sports when I was an athlete, but it feels like the game has drastically changed. Today, athletes are so focused on securing a collegiate scholarship that they’ve lost sight of the importance of their teammates. It’s all about “me, me, me” or “I, I, I,” and rarely do we hear concerns for “we,” “the team,” or “us.” We often hear complaints like, “Why am I not starting at first base?” or “I didn’t get enough fly balls at practice.” What’s even worse is that many of these complaints aren’t coming from the athletes themselves, but from their parents. “My daughter only got to base run today at practice.” “My daughter sat out two games this weekend.”

This culture of hyper-focusing on individual success is eroding a piece of the game I loved most. Creating that unique bond with your teammates is something I haven’t found in any other environment in my life. When you know that the people around you care just as much or more about your success than they do about theirs is an indescribable feeling. It’s why teams become families and create bonds that last a lifetime. With so much focus on individual success and college scholarships a lot of athletes are missing out on what it feels like to be a true teammate.

I believe it’s imperative for coaches to foster a team culture rooted in selflessness. Selflessness is the foundation of true teamwork, and teamwork is one of the greatest factors contributing to success. Coaches should praise athletes when they display selflessness and reward those who’ve mastered what it means to be a true teammate. Create opportunities for athletes to demonstrate their selflessness and set team guidelines so everyone understands what is expected. When athletes see what selflessness looks like, it will be easier for them to embrace it both on and off the field. Selflessness has the power to help athletes reach their full potential by teaching them how to rely on their teammates and experience genuine teamwork.

Quote of the day:
“It’s not about what the team can do for you, it’s about what you can do for the team.”