At one time or another, most of us will be required to undergo training in our chosen field of employment. Part of that training will be developing "team spirit" and " team working." Many of us will have been through that experience, several times if we have changed jobs. Having completed the training and assessment, we get the results. I always managed to achieve the same, or pretty similar results. I had absorbed the training, but was considered not to be team player.
I felt totally vindicated! Throughout my life up to that point at least, I had thoroughly enjoyed sport, well most of it anyway. The sports I enjoyed most were cross-country running and the high jump. Individual sports. (Now, that will come as a complete surprise to anyone reading this, who actually knows me) The sport I enjoyed playing the least, was Rugby Union. It was a team sport. (The fact that I was made to play the game just because of my size and nothing else, did not help.) I was, and I remain, convinced that any "game" that needs more than two people to take part in it, is doomed to a certain amount of failure. With any more than one person on each side, it is likely that sooner or later one person in the duo or even larger team will fail, if only for a second or so, resulting in a goal, a point or whatever, being scored against his or her side. At that point, all finger pointing and stares will be focused on that individual. Don't believe it? Take a look next time YOUR team loses a point or goal next time they play. You may even be guilty of doing it yourself!
All of what I have desribed above in terms of team sports, results in higher than usual stress levels occuring during the game, and for some time after. How many times have you muttered either under your breath, or out loud to anyone who will listen, that you and that team are finished. Never again will you support them-and as for that so-and-so manager, or full back, or supposedly "attacking forward line," they can just take a hike. How do I know? Because it happens to me week in and week out. I would even go so far as to say year in and year out.
Let me give you an example, or perhaps two. I confess to supporting a football team (or soccer team, depending on where you hale from) since 1974. I will not name them as I am supersticious and would not wish more bad luck on them than they currently enjoy. All I will say is that they are named after the town in which they play, which in turn is the oldest known Roman garrison town in England, you know, the one that Boudica raised to the ground!). Another clue is that the team were voted the 37th most stressful team to watch just three years ago. I suspect they will have risen in that table since!!!! I used to arrive at their ground full of optimism, joy and hope. I would often leave their ground with my stress levels at sky high level, despite every piece of advice I offered tham throughout the game, they ignored it, hence the opposotion going home with their faces wreathed in smiles. I would arrive home, my wife there to greet me. (I never understood why, despite the obvious look of thunder on my face, she always chose to ask, "how did the game go?")
To this day, I still support them. I now live many miles away from the town and cannot often visit, but still listen to each and every game on the internet. I will be so doing tonight 6/3/2012. My wife dreads such events despite my skulking off to the kitchen with my laptop, headphones and and a couple of ales in the 'fridge. She can hear the odd comment such as "come come chaps, that was a trifle silly giving away such a soft goal" or such like. She no longer asks how the game went.
A former love of my sporting life was an Ice Hockey team, London Knights, who played at the London Arena. I was introduced to the sport by my son, Andrew. He got a free ticket to a game for excelling at maths one week, (the team was famous for supporting education and rewarding kids at all levels, not just at the top.) It meant I had to buy a ticket so that he could attend, but so what, not even I was mean enough in those days to not take him. We turned up at the arena, not knowing what to expect. What we found was something totally new. Noise, noise and more noise. Loud pulsing music, videos playing on a four sided cosole suspended from on high. It was quite difficult to talk to each other. It didn't stop there. Suddenly the music stopped, the lights went out and a siren screamed out from nowhere. Immediately quietness was replaced by quite the loudest music I had ever heard-The sound of thunder was accompanied by flashing lights, a ceiling light span and lit up the arena and finally settled on the gate on one corner of the ice where the players were to make the entrance-the home players that was.
Image via Wikipedia
In true American showbiz razamatazz style, each player was announced by name-he raced onto the ice having been picked up by a white hot spot light. Wow-we were impressed. The opposition were then "welcomed" to the ice in a very quietly delivered "welcome" accompanied by the music made famous via the Laurel and hardy movies. "Our" team went on to beat Nottingham Panthers by 7 goals to 1. What a team!!!
We decided to go back for the next game. We saw them beaten 5-1 by Newcastle. Then our next game saw them draw 2-2 with Basingstoke Bison, but lose the play-off by one goal. Andrew and me were typically disapointed. Again, it was individual failures that led to team failures. Again I, no we, swore not to support them anymore. (We did, much to my wifes surprise, buy season tickets to watch them for the next three seasons though.) This ice hockey experience was much more of a threat to my health even than the football. The high adrenaline rush before the game, followed by the low low feeling but high stress levels after each loss added to the foot stress might have seen the end of a lesser man. Thankfully, I survived it all. I am still of the opinion that team sports cause undue stress.
I follow other sports, individual sports that is. I find them stress free. If I am willing a particular golfer on to success, but over the final four holes he bogies three and birdies in one, therefore losing his lead of two shots and losing the match, I simply refer to him/her as a bit of a silly billy. His/her game, his/her loss, his/her failure to win the money. Their loss not mine. Let them bear the stress this time.
I felt totally vindicated! Throughout my life up to that point at least, I had thoroughly enjoyed sport, well most of it anyway. The sports I enjoyed most were cross-country running and the high jump. Individual sports. (Now, that will come as a complete surprise to anyone reading this, who actually knows me) The sport I enjoyed playing the least, was Rugby Union. It was a team sport. (The fact that I was made to play the game just because of my size and nothing else, did not help.) I was, and I remain, convinced that any "game" that needs more than two people to take part in it, is doomed to a certain amount of failure. With any more than one person on each side, it is likely that sooner or later one person in the duo or even larger team will fail, if only for a second or so, resulting in a goal, a point or whatever, being scored against his or her side. At that point, all finger pointing and stares will be focused on that individual. Don't believe it? Take a look next time YOUR team loses a point or goal next time they play. You may even be guilty of doing it yourself!
All of what I have desribed above in terms of team sports, results in higher than usual stress levels occuring during the game, and for some time after. How many times have you muttered either under your breath, or out loud to anyone who will listen, that you and that team are finished. Never again will you support them-and as for that so-and-so manager, or full back, or supposedly "attacking forward line," they can just take a hike. How do I know? Because it happens to me week in and week out. I would even go so far as to say year in and year out.
Let me give you an example, or perhaps two. I confess to supporting a football team (or soccer team, depending on where you hale from) since 1974. I will not name them as I am supersticious and would not wish more bad luck on them than they currently enjoy. All I will say is that they are named after the town in which they play, which in turn is the oldest known Roman garrison town in England, you know, the one that Boudica raised to the ground!). Another clue is that the team were voted the 37th most stressful team to watch just three years ago. I suspect they will have risen in that table since!!!! I used to arrive at their ground full of optimism, joy and hope. I would often leave their ground with my stress levels at sky high level, despite every piece of advice I offered tham throughout the game, they ignored it, hence the opposotion going home with their faces wreathed in smiles. I would arrive home, my wife there to greet me. (I never understood why, despite the obvious look of thunder on my face, she always chose to ask, "how did the game go?")
To this day, I still support them. I now live many miles away from the town and cannot often visit, but still listen to each and every game on the internet. I will be so doing tonight 6/3/2012. My wife dreads such events despite my skulking off to the kitchen with my laptop, headphones and and a couple of ales in the 'fridge. She can hear the odd comment such as "come come chaps, that was a trifle silly giving away such a soft goal" or such like. She no longer asks how the game went.
A former love of my sporting life was an Ice Hockey team, London Knights, who played at the London Arena. I was introduced to the sport by my son, Andrew. He got a free ticket to a game for excelling at maths one week, (the team was famous for supporting education and rewarding kids at all levels, not just at the top.) It meant I had to buy a ticket so that he could attend, but so what, not even I was mean enough in those days to not take him. We turned up at the arena, not knowing what to expect. What we found was something totally new. Noise, noise and more noise. Loud pulsing music, videos playing on a four sided cosole suspended from on high. It was quite difficult to talk to each other. It didn't stop there. Suddenly the music stopped, the lights went out and a siren screamed out from nowhere. Immediately quietness was replaced by quite the loudest music I had ever heard-The sound of thunder was accompanied by flashing lights, a ceiling light span and lit up the arena and finally settled on the gate on one corner of the ice where the players were to make the entrance-the home players that was.
Image via WikipediaIn true American showbiz razamatazz style, each player was announced by name-he raced onto the ice having been picked up by a white hot spot light. Wow-we were impressed. The opposition were then "welcomed" to the ice in a very quietly delivered "welcome" accompanied by the music made famous via the Laurel and hardy movies. "Our" team went on to beat Nottingham Panthers by 7 goals to 1. What a team!!!
We decided to go back for the next game. We saw them beaten 5-1 by Newcastle. Then our next game saw them draw 2-2 with Basingstoke Bison, but lose the play-off by one goal. Andrew and me were typically disapointed. Again, it was individual failures that led to team failures. Again I, no we, swore not to support them anymore. (We did, much to my wifes surprise, buy season tickets to watch them for the next three seasons though.) This ice hockey experience was much more of a threat to my health even than the football. The high adrenaline rush before the game, followed by the low low feeling but high stress levels after each loss added to the foot stress might have seen the end of a lesser man. Thankfully, I survived it all. I am still of the opinion that team sports cause undue stress.
I follow other sports, individual sports that is. I find them stress free. If I am willing a particular golfer on to success, but over the final four holes he bogies three and birdies in one, therefore losing his lead of two shots and losing the match, I simply refer to him/her as a bit of a silly billy. His/her game, his/her loss, his/her failure to win the money. Their loss not mine. Let them bear the stress this time.
Team games themselves do not cause stress. Most Amateur team sports are played under the banner of good fun and relaxation, it is only the introduction of professionalism where the stress comes in having to perform to a high standard week after week game after game. Trying to prove yourself to the team, managers/coaches and then the fans. This puts such pressure on young players that without the guidance of a trusted friend they can go of the rails, George Best as a example. Individual sports do put pressure on players,other wise why do so many break down in training. It seems to me that the higher you go in a sport the more pressure that you are subjected to.
ReplyDeleteHi David,
DeleteThanks for visiting the Blog, and thanks for the comments you left.
I fully support whay you say. I'm not sure who applies the most pressure to the sporting stars and the up and coming sports persons. Perhaps it's the supporter pressure that leads to some of the antics that so-called stars get up to. Strange isn't it that most bad behaviour manifests itself in football. Is it a money thing?
I had intended the article to convey my personal feelings about team sports. Ice hockey use to cause me the most stress!!! The team has now folded as Anshutz gave up the franchise when they took on the O2. It was promised that the team would move there, but it never happened.
Thanks again David.